him down."
"Beneath you, was it?" asked Marcia.
Simon felt even more uncomfortable. Marcia was absolutely right. He had loftily informed Tertius Fume that he had far more important matters to attend to.
"Um. Well, the thing is, a few weeks later I saw Tertius Fume down on the old Manuscriptorium landing stage. He was talking to someone who looked to me like a pirate. You know, gold ring in his ear, parrot tattooed on his neck, that kind of thing. I thought then, old Goat Face - sorry, Tertius Fume - has found his BondsMan."
"Old Goat Face is just fine by me," said Marcia. "So tell me, Simon, what do you know about CattRokk?"
"Well, er, I know what shines above...and what lies beneath."
Marcia raised her eyebrows. "You do?"
Simon looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he said, "but because of where I ended up when I went a little bit, well, crazy, I do know lots of stuff. There are things that I know I shouldn't know, but I do. And I can't un-know them, if you see what I mean. But if I can put any of it to good use now, then maybe...well, maybe I can make things right. Maybe." Simon stole a glance at Marcia but got no response.
"So I do know about the Isles of Syren, and about the Deeps and, er, things."
"Really?" Marcia's tone was icy. "So why have you come to tell me? Why now?"
"And - oh, it's awful," Simon babbled. "Lucy has run off with some kid - and I remember who he is now, he's a friend of...of my brother, your Apprentice. He got me in the eye once with a catapult. Not your Apprentice, the friend. Anyway, he - the friend, not my brother - has run off with my Lucy, and they are on a boat belonging to Skipper Fry, who has a parrot on his neck and whose initials are T.F.F. and who takes the supplies out to CattRokk."
Marcia took a moment to digest this. "So...let me get this straight. You are telling me that Tertius Fume has a BondsMan who has gone to CattRokk Light?"
"Yes. And before he left, I saw the BondsMan talking to Una Brakket. She gave him a package."
"Una Brakket?" Distaste flooded Marcia's face.
"Yes. I'm sure you know this too - neither she nor Tertius Fume is a friend of the Castle."
"Hmm.... So how long ago did this Skipper Fry - this BondsMan - leave?"
"Two days ago. I came as soon as I could. There was an awful storm and - "
"Well, thank you," said Marcia, cutting in. "That was very interesting."
"Oh. Right. Well, if there's anything I can do..."
"No, thank you, Simon. You'll just catch the next ferry to the Port if you hurry. Good-bye." With that, Marcia turned on her heel and strode back up Wizard Way. Simon hurried off to the ferry feeling deflated. He knew he shouldn't have expected anything, but he had hoped that, just possibly, Marcia might have involved him, asked his opinion - even allowed him to stay in the Castle for the night. But she hadn't - and he didn't blame her.
Marcia walked up Wizard Way, lost in thought. Her visit to the Manuscriptorium, combined with her surprise meeting with Simon Heap, had left her with a lot to think about. Marcia was convinced that Tertius Fume had something to do with the secret Ice Tunnel becoming UnSealed, and she was sure it was not a coincidence that his BondsMan was at that very moment on his way to CattRokk Light. Tertius Fume was up to something. "Evil old goat," she muttered to herself.
Marcia was so deep in thought that when a tall, thin man wearing a ridiculous yellow hat ran in front of her, she walked right into him. They both went flying. Before Marcia could struggle to her feet she found herself surrounded by a group of concerned - and rather excited - onlookers who, too amazed to offer any help, stood gazing at the sight of their ExtraOrdinary Wizard lying flat out on Wizard Way. For once Marcia was glad to hear Aunt Zelda's voice.
"Upsadaisy!" Aunt Zelda said, helping Marcia to her feet.
"Thank you, Zelda," said Marcia. She brushed the dust off her new cloak and glared at the onlookers. "Don't you have homes to go to?" she snapped. Sheepishly they drifted away, saving their stories to tell to their families and friends. (These tales were the origins of the legend of the mysterious and powerful Yellow Wizard who,