“Probably some pickpocket up to no good,” whispered Alther. “He'd better not try anything, I'm not in a good mood this evening.”
Septimus did not reply. The footsteps had slowed down now; they sounded almost hesitant as they approached the gap where Alther and Septimus were hidden. Then the footsteps stopped.
Suddenly, to Alther's horror, Septimus jumped out.
Sarah Heap gave a piercing scream and dropped her basket with a crash. Bottles and jars tumbled out and rolled in all directions.
“Mum!” said Septimus. “Mum, it's only Alther and me.”
Sarah Heap stared at them in disbelief. “What on earth are you doing here? Really, Septimus, you nearly gave me a heart attack. And what does Alther think he's doing bringing you down these ghastly alleyways at this time of night?”
“It's all right, Mum. We're on our way back now. We only went to the Hole in the Wall Tavern,” Septimus explained, chasing after the dropped bottles and jars and putting them back into Sarah's basket.
“A tavern?” Sarah Heap looked horrified. "Alther took you to a tavern—at night?
Alther“—this was addressed to the ghost who had just floated out of the alleyway, looking resigned to the evening rapidly going from bad to worse—”Alther, what do you think you are doing? And with all this Sickenesse about?"
Alther sighed. "I'll explain tomorrow, Sarah. Although I could ask the same of you.
What exactly are you doing scurrying down a back alley with all your potions?"
Sarah did not answer. She was too busy checking whether any of her potion bottles had broken. “Thank you, Septimus,” she said as he handed her the last bottle.
“But where are you going, Mum?” asked Septimus.
“Going?” Sarah Heap looked as if she had come down to earth with a bump. “Oh, heavens, I'll be late. I don't want to keep Nicko waiting—”
“Nicko?” asked Septimus, confused.
“Sarah,” said Alther, “what is going on?”
“I've been called to the Infirmary, Alther. I must have had the last Message Rat in the Castle. They've had so many people brought in this evening they can't cope. Nicko's going to row me over. Now I must get going.”
“Not on your own,” said Alther. “We'll come with you.”
Sarah looked as though she was about to protest but then she changed her mind.
“Thank you, Alther,” she said. “I—oh my goodness!” Sarah stifled a scream.
“Look...” she whispered, pointing into the darkness.
Septimus looked. At first he saw nothing and then, as he shifted his gaze, he saw them—the red eyes, moving toward them, dodging from side to side. At first glance Septimus thought it was a rat, but there was something about the way the eyes were set, both looking forward, that looked wrong for a rat's eyes. Quickly Septimus reached into his pocket, took out a pebble and sent it spinning through the darkness toward the red pinpoints. A high-pitched yelp was followed by the sound of scuffling leaves, and the eyes disappeared into the night.
“Come on, Sarah,” said Alther, “let's get you down to the boatyard.”
Nicko was waiting anxiously beside a rowboat tied up to the quay in Jannit Maarten's boatyard. Jannit had recently taken Nicko on as Junior Apprentice, and he now slept in a small cabin at the back of Jannit's ramshackle hut. An hour ago, Nicko had tumbled into bed, tired out after a long day helping Rupert Gringe repair the huge rudder belonging to the Port barge. He had only just fallen asleep when an insistent knocking on his window had jarred him awake—it was the Message Rat that Sarah had forwarded to him.
Quickly Nicko had found the rowboat that Jannit sometimes used to ferry people over the river; unfortunately he had woken Jannit, who even in her sleep could hear any unusual sound in the boatyard. Jannit had only just grumpily gone back to bed when she was woken again by the clinking of Sarahs bottles in her basket as she hurried through the boatyard.
Septimus helped Nicko steady the rowboat while Sarah clambered in. “You'll make sure Mum gets to the Infirmary okay, won't you, Nik?” he asked, looking doubtfully across the Moat, which was wide and deep by the boatyard, to the dim lights of the Infirmary, almost hidden under the outlying trees of the Forest some distance away.
It was a dangerous walk from the ferry landing stage to the Infirmary at night.
“Of course I will.” Nicko took up two long oars and waited for Sarah to get settled.
“Don't worry, I'll see Sarah to the Infirmary door,” Alther said to Septimus. “I can still get rid of the odd wolverine if I have to. I'll have to whiz around by the North Gate, but I'll be there waiting for her.”
“See ya later, Sep,” said Nicko as he pulled away from the boatyard landing stage.