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That night found Jenna and Septiain their beach, a little way fro fire At Jenna&039;s insistence, Septi her all that had happened

"You know, Sep," said Jenna, "if being Queento watch everyone else do stuff, I don&039;t think I want to be one You and Beetle get to do exciting things with jinn and Ice Tunnels and sleds while I have to sit and politely listen to Milo drone on and on Nicko and Snorri weren&039;t much better - all they talk about is boats"

"The Ice Tunnels weren&039;t that great," said Septiure ee from the sand dunes "Oh, at last - there&039;s Jim Knee Excuse o on then, Sep I know you have is to do," said Jenna

"You can come too, Jen Actually, he can come to us Jihnut hat swaying as he walked "You called, Oh Sedentary One?"

"Did you do it?" Septimus asked anxiously

"It was a battle," he said, "but I won" The jinnee s out to be as tedious as he had feared "We go back a long way, the Syren and I I was due a little victory"

Septioose bu "Thank you, Jim Knee," he said "Thank you You areincredible"

Jim Knee bowed "I know," he said, and handed Septiiven hierly, Septier and thuth "Is it Sealed?" he asked

"Indeed it is, Oh Cautious One Will that be all? I could do with that nap now It has been a bit of a day"

"No, that will not be all," said Septirateful he was, to his jinnee he h and not - as Beetle had recently reminded hi One?"

"Three things, actually"

"Three, Oh Insatiable One? You do realize that three is the maximum number of wishes that may be commanded at any one ti to ad hed "Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted Your wish is my command, Oh Great One - I may call you that, may I not? It is standard jinnee practice Unless you prefer so else, of course"

"I think," said Septi the matter, "I would prefer Apprentice That is what I am"

"Not Senior Apprentice, Sep?" Jenna teased

"Can you iine what he&039;d make that sound like, Jen? No, Apprentice is just fine"

Jined "Very well, Oh Apprentice"

"I said Apprentice, not Oh Apprentice"

"Very well, Apprentice"

"Nuo, as fast as you can, to the far end of the Frozen warrior jinn I wish to know if they reached the Castle If they have reached the Castle, you are to inform the ExtraOrdinary Wizard what has happened"

Normally the jinnee would have protested that this was in fact tishes, but he felt he was on soft ground He had not entirely honored the agreement that had released him from the Sealed cell "The ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Oh G - Apprentice?"

"Yes You will find her at the Wizard Tower Tell her I sent you"

Jim Knee looked uncomfortable "Ah," he said, "that reet some kind of Keyeto, um, Seal some tunnels? Quite went out of my head with all the excitement I&039;ll do that now, shall I?"

Septimus could hardly believe what he had just heard "Marcia asked you to Seal the tunnel? But I don&039;t understand - how did she know? And how on earth did you meet Marcia?"

Jim Knee looked shifty "Just buo now, shall I?"

"I haven&039;t finished My third wish is that you return all the jinn to their tubes"

Jihed It hat he had expected, but that didn&039;t make it any easier Never since he had been a slave in the stables of King Augeas had the jinnee faced such a Herculean task - except this time he doubted Hercules would turn up to help

"Your wish is hnut hat fell off, he snatched it up, cranity, walked off Jim Knee made his way to the first warrior jinnee he had Frozen The tide was retreating and the seven-foot-long arure lay facedown in the wet sand, his arms outstretched, his ax half-buried in the sand, his shield and the silver wings on his helht of the indentations frohost crab&039;s claws still visible in his unprotected heel, Jim Knee allowed himself a half-s, for they would have seen him as he really was - the wild, wall-eyed oman of some twenty-five thousand suht, chosen existence as a jinnee in preference to life as a turtle trader&039;s fourth wife The turtle trader&039;s wife had once had the misfortune to meet the vicious warrior from whom they had been taken, and it was not an encounter Jim Knee wished to repeat

There was a flash of yellow light, and Septi the line of fallen warriors and disappear into the dunes He took Syrah&039;s book from his pocket and anxiously looked at the cover It now read:

Septione He looked along the beach, then scanned the dunes

"You okay, Sep?" asked Jenna

"Yes, thanks, Jen Very okay, in fact" He glanced up to the hilltop

"You expecting someone?"

"Well, I - oh, bother," ure had detached itself fro its way toward them

"Ah, there you are," said Milo cheerily, settling himself down between Jenna and Septimus "Mission accomplished, Princess" He sh I would happily have left them stranded on that rock Why you think the Cerys needs its rats back, I really do not know"

Jenna grinned "They&039;ll be leaving at the Port," she said "I&039;ll be arranging a pickup"

Milo sently "So like youron" He turned to Septih - you saved o"

"You&039;re welcome" Septimus sounded preoccupied

"And he saved the Castle," said Jenna

"Indeed, indeed It was a very clever trick"

"Trick?" Jenna spluttered indignantly "Sep doesn&039;t do tricks It was really brave and clever - hey, Sep, are you okay?"

"Yeahfine," said Septi back at the dunes oncedistracted when he was talking to thes would have been if I had found this aro You, Jenna, would have grown up with your real mother, not with some weird Wizards, and of course you, Septimus, would have spent those precious, never to be recaptured, early years with your own dear parents"

"The weird Wizards, you mean?" asked Septimus

"Oh Oh, no, no, of course I didn&039;t lad of a ti lady?"

"Syrah!" gasped Septi up

Milo suffered a rare attack of sensitivity "I&039;ll just go and check on things," he said, and hurried off toward the fire

"Hello, Syrah," said Jenna a little shyly

"Princess Esmeralda" Syrah dropped into an aard curtsy Jenna flashed a questioning glance at Septimus "No, please, I&039;m not - "

Septiht?"

Syrah looked anything but all right She was deathly pale; the dark shadows around her eyes looked even deeper and her hands were tre "I amI thinkI aan to shake violently

"Jen," said Septiet some water, please - and a HeatCloak too?"

"Of course" Jenna rushed off

"Septimus," Syrah whispered, "the SyrenI do not understandwherewhere is she?"

Septimus held out his hand In his pal of ice, which shi

"Here The Syren is in here," said Septily at the phial "In there?"

"Yes Sealed in here," said Septione Forever You are free"

"Free?"

"Yes"

Syrah burst into tears

The moon rose, and in the distance the two beaht shone out across a cal platform, Miarr prowled contentedly He looked out at the island and, as Milo threw another log on the fire, he saw it blaze up into the night, illuathered around it Miarr smiled and chewed on a dried fish head For the first time since Mirano&039;s disappearance, he felt at peace On the beach there was peace - but not quiet The fire crackled and spat with the salt in the driftwood, people chattered and Spit Fyre snuffled and snorted Septih to bea little on, coed tail, lay on the soft sand just below the sand dunes, gazing at the fire through half-closed eyes, watching Beetle dispensing cups of FizzFroot just out of reach of his tongue He snorted, stretched his neck and tried to get a little closer Spit Fyre liked FizzFroot Wolf Boy was showing Jenna, Beetle, Nicko, Snorri, Lucy and Jakey how to play Village Chief - a fast- shells, scooped out dips in the sand and