Fyre

by Angie Sage

  MARWICK

  As soon as Wolf Boy became Keeper he knew he had outgrown his old name. Now he truly was Marwick. His first act as Keeper was to successfully use Aunt Zelda’s potion, and all she had taught him, to bring Edmund and Ernold back from the brink of death. From then on, all his doubts about whether he had the skills to be Keeper were stilled.

  After Jenna’s Coronation, Marwick returned alone to Keeper’s Cottage. Although he missed Aunt Zelda very much, he enjoyed his own company and was content with only the Boggart and Bert for company—plus a few pet rocks that had evaded capture. However, with the Dragon Boat now permanently based at the Castle, Marwick did begin to wonder what the purpose of being Keeper was. It was not until much later when a visit from Sam—a visit that surprised not only Marwick but Sam, too—made him understand that he was also Keeper of one of the most Ancient Ways. After that Marwick embarked on an incredible voyage of discovery. The entire world, he realized, was at his feet.

  MERRIN AND NURSIE

  Merrin and Nursie were successfully fished out of the Moat, but both were very shocked and bruised, and Nursie had a broken arm. They spent some time in the Sick Bay recovering, then returned to the Doll House and resumed their chaotic lives. But things were subtly improved. Their neighbors, the Port Witch Coven, now treated them with respect, and all the petty Spells and Bothers that had regularly come flying over the backyard fence stopped, and Nursie relaxed.

  To Merrin’s surprise, Nursie never reproached him for pulling the lever and sending her hurtling down the terrifying dark slide into the Moat, and for the first time in his life, Merrin actually felt remorse for something he had done. He began to understand that his mother really did care for him no matter what he did, and he, too, began to relax. Merrin made a big effort to be nice to his mother—he was not always successful—but Nursie appreciated the effort. Merrin’s first genuine smile was a big occasion for Nursie. She knew then that one day her Merrin would be a good boy—with any luck.

  SYRAH SYARA

  Syrah remained weak and confused for many months after she woke. Marcia gave Julius Pike leave to stay in the Wizard Tower, and the ghost spent much of the time talking to Syrah about the old days. Eventually Dandra Draa decided that this was not doing Syrah any good and suggested that Julius go back to his old haunts. To Marcia’s surprise, Syrah seemed relieved to see Julius leave, and from then on she began to grow stronger.

  Syrah moved to some rooms at the top of the Ramblings and spent most of her time tending her rooftop garden. She remembered little Magyk and had no recollection of her time on the Isles of Syren, although seeing Septimus always made her feel uneasy.

  THE FOREST HEAPS

  SAM

  Sam seriously considered taking up Silas’s suggestion of an Ordinary Apprenticeship at the Wizard Tower, but after his walk into the Forest with Silas and Aunt Zelda, things changed for Sam. He realized that he belonged outdoors—the inside world of the Wizard Tower was not for him. And so, after telling a disappointed Silas that he had decided against an Apprenticeship, Sam accompanied Marwick back to Draggen Island and helped him get settled.

  In the autumn Sam returned to Camp Heap in the Forest and was shocked to discover that it was now occupied by a wolverine pack. He narrowly escaped attack and spent an uncomfortable Big Freeze up in the trees with Galen the Physik woman. By the time of the Big Thaw, Sam had had enough. He returned to the Castle, and it did not take much persuading to get the other three Forest Heaps to head out to the Marshes with him that summer. (Luckily for Edd and Erik, Marcia had decreed that all Apprentices were now allowed a month’s vacation.) The Forest Heaps spent a happy month in the sunshine of the Marram Marshes and the company of Marwick, reliving their Camp Heap times together. Summer in the Marram Marshes became a fixture for the Forest Heaps for many years to come.

  EDD AND ERIK

  It was Edd and Erik who eventually took up Apprenticeships at the Wizard Tower, so once again the Wizard Tower was host to twin Heaps—but this time it was a much more successful relationship. Edd and Erik joined the Apprentice Rotation Scheme and settled in happily, living in the Apprentice Dorm in the old Sick Bay on the first floor of the Wizard Tower. They learned fast and were, as Silas said to Sarah many times, a credit to the Heap name.

  JO-JO

  To Sarah’s dismay, Jo-Jo Heap moved out of the Palace into a small room at the less-scary end of Dagger Dan’s Dive and got a job in Gothyk Grotto in order to be close to his ex-girlfriend, Marissa. With Matt and Marcus Marwick already working there, this did not make for a harmonious atmosphere in “the Grot,” as it was known to its fans. There were many occasions when Igor, the owner of Gothyk Grotto, was tempted to fire the entire staff and begin again, but the truth was that the four teens were a charismatic bunch and brought in a lot of customs. Jo-Jo in particular—being the son of a Wizard and fluent in basic Magyk—was a great asset. So Igor retreated to his room at the back of the shop, learned some new riffs on his nose flute and left them to it.

  OTHER HEAPS

  NICKO

  Nicko finished his Apprenticeship with Jannit and became a partner at the boatyard, allowing Jannit to take six months off each year and do hibernation in a big way. Two summers later, a letter from Snorri mentioning a tall, young fisherman unsettled Nicko more than he had expected, and he began to make plans. Wisely he decided not to mention them to his mother. Not just yet.

  SIMON AND LUCY

  Simon continued as Apprentice to Marcellus. He enjoyed most aspects of the job—apart from the guided tours of the Great Chamber of Alchemie and Physik. But Simon had learned enough about life to understand that nothing is perfect, and when Marcia asked him to be the liaison between the Great Chamber and the Wizard Tower, Simon accepted with great pleasure. Now at last he had a reason to come and go as he pleased at the Wizard Tower—something that he had never thought possible.

  After the completion of the Alchemie Chimney, a craze for fancy turrets swept the Castle and Lucy found that she was much in demand. She quickly had many projects under way—which was good because the knitted-curtains business never quite took off. And soon Lucy’s comments to Simon about baby feet made perfect sense—Sarah was thrilled to discover that the first Heap grandchild was expected on MidWinter Feast Day.

  SILAS AND SARAH

  Silas went back to working at the Wizard Tower, where he kept an anxious watch on Ernold and Edmund and a proud eye on Edd and Erik. Silas was very touched when Marcia, apologizing for doubting him and keeping him in the Stranger Chamber, gave him the Counter-Feet Charm that she had discovered in the Pyramid Library during her reinstatement of the Alchemie files. Silas immediately began creating new Counter-Feet sets and arranging a tournament. Sarah settled into a happy round of spending time with Jenna at the Palace, checking up on Jo-Jo (and really annoying him) and visiting Edd and Erik (and, at times, annoying them, too). Lucy also saw more of her mother-in-law than she would have liked but she appreciated Sarah’s attempts to help her get the house sorted out in time for the new arrival.

  SEPTIMUS

  Now that Septimus knew in his heart that Magyk was what he truly wanted to do, his Apprenticeship settled into an uneventful course. Both he and Marcia enjoyed the last years of his Apprenticeship—the first not to be blighted by the specter of the Draw for the Queste hanging over it. Septimus and Rose spent more and more time together, much to Marcia’s disapproval, but that is another story.

  THE LITTLE GIRL IN THE FISHERMAN’S SHACK

  Alice TodHunter Moon was the name of the little girl who waved to Septimus the night he flew the Dragon Boat to the House of Foryx. Alice—who answered only to the name of Tod—never forgot her sight of the Dragon Boat that night. It sustained her through many difficult times. She knew that one day she, too, would fly in the Dragon Boat and meet the great Wizard who waved to her from the stars. Alice was right, and her story is soon to be told in the TodHunter Moon series.

  THANK YOU

  There are some sp
ecial people I really want to thank for being part of Septimus, without whom the series would not be the same—or quite possibly would not have happened at all.

  So . . . a big, big thank-you to my agent and friend, Eunice McMullen, who was the first to see the beginning of Magyk and love it. Eunice, thanks for all your support over the years and for making sure that Septimus & Co. got a great home with HarperCollins in the USA and then with Bloomsbury in the UK.

  An equally massive thank-you to my editor and friend at HarperCollins, Katherine Tegen, from whom I have learned so much about writing and without whom I know the Septimus Heap series would not have grown to be what it is.

  And to Mark Zug, whose beautiful and atmospheric pictures for Septimus Heap never fail to amaze and delight and are always so just right. I don’t know how Mark does it, but he seems to have a direct line to what Septimus is about. Thank you, Mark.

  Thank you to my husband, Rhodri, who has patiently read each book many times in their various drafts and still insists that he really does enjoy them—and who listens with great attention while I try to explain the myriad twists of plot and get my thoughts straight for the umpteenth time. And does the VAT.

  To my lovely Laurie, whose quick-fire ideas have been an inspiration and such fun.

  To my equally lovely Lois, who once had to read the first four chapters of the initial draft of Magyk before she was allowed any pizza—and then tell me what she thought.

  To Dave Johnson, without whom Nicko would not have had an attack of the giggles at the Wendron Witch Summer Circle.

  To Karen and Peter Collins, who helped us keep going when times got tough when I was writing Physik.

  To all the copy editors, particularly Brenna, who so patiently and graciously read through the final drafts of all the books and from whom I have learned a whole ton of stuff about writing nitty-gritty—particularly echo and repetition and repetition and echo.

  And thank you to all the translators who do such amazing work in Transcribing the Septimus Heap series into other languages, and especially to the ones—hello, Merlin—who ask the most amazingly detailed questions in order to make sure everything is as good as it can be.

  Thank you, too, to all the wonderful foreign publishers who have put so much into the series, particularly to the great people I have met over the years: Albin Michel in France, Hanser in Germany, Querido in Holland, Wahlströms/Forma Books in Sweden, WSOY in Finland, Pegasus in Estonia, Ursula at the British Council in Tallinn, and g’day to all at Allen & Unwin in Sydney.

  And last but definitely not least, thank you to all at Bloomsbury Publishing here in the UK, especially my editor, Ele Fountain.

  You’ve all been Magyk!

  About the Author and Illustrator

  ANGIE SAGE was born in London and grew up in the Thames Valley, London, and Kent. She now lives in Somerset in a very old house that has a secret tunnel below it. The first six books in the Septimus Heap series are international bestsellers. She is also the author of the Araminta Spookie series. Visit her online at www.septimusheap.com or follow her on Twitter @AngieSageAuthor.

  MARK ZUG has loved fantasy novels since he was a teenager. He has illustrated many collectible card games, including Magic: The Gathering and Dune, as well as books and magazines. He lives in Pennsylvania. You can visit him online at www.markzug.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  ALSO BY ANGIE SAGE

  Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk

  Septimus Heap, Book Two: Flyte

  Septimus Heap, Book Three: Physik

  Septimus Heap, Book Four: Queste

  Septimus Heap, Book Five: Syren

  Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke

  Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers

  Araminta Spookie: My Haunted House

  Araminta Spookie: The Sword in the Grotto

  Araminta Spookie: Frognapped

  Araminta Spookie: Vampire Brat

  Araminta Spookie: Ghostsitters

  PRAISE FOR SEPTIMUS HEAP

  Book One: MAGYK

  “A quick-reading, stand-alone, deliciously spellbinding series opener.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  “Fun, mystery, and rollicking characters.”—VOYA (starred review)

  Book Two: FLYTE

  “Terrifically entertaining. Fans of the first book will be delighted with this sequel to Septimus’s story.”—VOYA (starred review)

  Book Three: PHYSIK

  “Few fans of the bestselling Septimus Heap series will be disappointed by this excellent third adventure.”—ALA Booklist

  Book Four: QUESTE

  “Vibrant storytelling and inventive flourishes.”—ALA Booklist

  Book Five: SYREN

  “SYREN is Sage at her best.”—School Library Journal

  Book Six: DARKE

  “As usual, the danger and the spellcasting alike seem vividly real and credible. A memorable, edge-of-the-seat escapade that will enthrall confirmed fans and newbies alike.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  “Sage proves again that she has an inventive feel for fantasy adventure.”—ALA Booklist

  “Sage has skillfully spun the most suspenseful installment yet in her series: Again she manages to combine lovable, creepy, and comic characters in a story that will leave her audience gasping in worry, then laughing at characters’ antics. Sep’s fans most certainly will not be disappointed with this heftiest volume yet.”

  —VOYA (starred review)

  Credits

  Cover art © 2013 by Mark Zug

  Cover design by Joel Tippie

  Septimus Heap is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.

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  Copyright

  Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

  Septimus Heap is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.

  Septimus Heap Book Seven: Fyre

  Text copyright © 2013 by Angie Sage

  Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Mark Zug

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  * * *

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 978-0-06-124245-8 (trade bdg.) — ISBN 978-0-06-124246-5 (lib. bdg.)

  ISBN 978-0-06-224697-4 (international edition)

  Epub Edition © MARCH 2013 ISBN 9780062219879

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  13 14 15 16 17 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  First Edition

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