Magyk

That night, Boy 412 struggles to fall asleep. He thinks that the golden dragon ring is the reason he was able to cast the invisibility spell so easily, and he’s worried that Marcia is angry with him. Apart from this concern, his circumstances are significantly better than they were during his time in the Young Army. This makes him uneasy because he has something to lose for the first time in his life.

The next morning, Marcia asks to speak with Boy 412 in private. She tells him that he possesses “a natural Magykal gift” and gives him a small pair of silver wings inscribed with the words “Fly Free With Me” (253). As soon as he reads the words on the Charm, he soars into the air. Marcia is thrilled that he mastered an advanced spell immediately, and she asks him to become her Apprentice and help her defeat the Darke Side. Although Boy 412 would love to accept her offer, he declines because he thinks the ring is the source of the Magykal spark she senses in him. Marcia gently asks him to give the matter some thought and tells him to keep the wing charm. Then she asks him to help her gather some insects.

Jenna and Nicko take the canoe out and look in vain for any sign of their father’s return. When they make their way back to the cottage, they are struck by a powerful odor. With the children’s help, Aunt Zelda and Marcia take the 57 insects Boy 412 caught and transform them into Shield Bugs. These magical insects are kept in jars and will defend the person who enchanted them when released.

Far off in the Forest, Silas meets with a Wendron Witch named Morwenna Mould. The Witches are dangerous to most people, but Silas saved Morwenna from a pack of wolverines years ago. He explains that his son Simon has gone missing, and she tells him that the Forest is more dangerous than ever since DomDaniel’s return: “Darkenesse has come into the hub of the Castle. Into the Wizard Tower no less. It may have Taken your boy” (275). Silas mentions that he has seven sons in total, but the seventh died. Morwenna laments this loss, both for the Heap family and for everyone in the kingdom. She bestows the Witches’ protection on everyone in Galen’s house and invites them to celebrate MidWinter Feast with her coven. Silas feels certain that Simon was taken to the Castle. The next morning, he takes Marcia’s KeepSafe charm and goes to look for his son.

Although the MidWinter Feast is not part of the Wizards’ culture, Galen and the Heap family accept Morwenna’s invitation because it is a great honor. The 39 Wendron Witches gather in an old slate quarry. Morwenna is the Witch Mother who leads the coven, and she reassures Sarah, “We are all looking for your boy. I am sure all will be well in the end. And with your other three who are away from you now” (282). Sarah is puzzled because she thinks Jenna and Nicko are the only children away from her besides Simon.

Meanwhile, Silas spends MidWinter at the Castle. He tries to conceal his green eyes under a hood, but Gringe the Gatekeeper recognizes him, and the Supreme Custodian is informed of the Wizard’s return. Silas goes to the Heaps’ old home in the Ramblings, which looks forlorn and “strangely small now that it was empty of children, noise and Sarah” (285). A removal man tasked with emptying out the Heaps’ home mistakes Silas for a fellow worker and enlists his help in piling all of the family’s belongings into a rubbish cart. The removal man tells Silas to burn all of the Magyk books, but Alther helps him hide them in the attic.

Alther brings Silas to the Hole in the Wall Tavern, a bar for ghosts built inside the Castle wall. A ghost named Sister Bernadette informs Silas that Simon returned to the Castle so that he could secretly marry Lucy Gringe, the Gatekeeper’s daughter. The wedding did not take place because Gringe informed the Custodians, who arrested Simon and brought him to the Supreme Custodian at the Courthouse. Many ghosts seek the young man there, but their search is unsuccessful.

The Message Rat who traveled with Silas is named Stanley, and his wife’s name is Dawnie. When Stanley reports for work at the Rat Office, he discovers that a large black rat is now in charge. His new boss declares that Message Rats will only be addressed by numbers from now on, revokes Stanley’s distinguished Confidential status, and gives him a message for Marcia. Although the message has Silas’s name on it, the Supreme Custodian actually wrote it. A man named Jack, who loves rats, offers Stanley a ride to the marshes. After learning that Stanley is a Message Rat, Jack puts him in a cage, intending to keep him as a pet.

Every year around MidWinter, a blizzard called the Big Freeze covers the kingdom in ice and snow. Silas is forced to wait out the storm in the Hole in the Wall. Meanwhile, the Supreme Custodian wins Simon’s trust by appealing to his dream of becoming the ExtraOrdinary Wizard one day. After the Supreme Custodian suggests that Simon might replace DomDaniel’s current Apprentice, Simon tells him that Jenna and Marcia are hiding at Aunt Zelda’s cottage in the Marram Marshes. The Supreme Custodian gives this information to the Hunter, who goes to see DomDaniel. The wicked ExtraOrdinary Wizard is attended by wormlike monsters called Magogs. The Necromancer refuses to send the Hunter off on his own after his previous failure. Alther overhears the conversation between the Hunter and DomDaniel. Meanwhile, deep in the Forest, the Heap boys build a collection of snow forts, trap their own food, and befriend some of the young Wendron Witches.

The Big Freeze transforms the Marram Marshes into a winter wonderland, and Jenna and Nicko pass the time having snowball fights and ice skating. The children discover the enormous Marsh Python, which is trapped beneath a layer of ice. As the weeks pass, Jenna grows closer to the quiet Boy 412, who is fond of her pet rock. Boy 412 spends much of his time reading “a happy mixture of adventure stories and Magyk books” (323) after having no access to books during his days in the Young Army.

About six weeks into the Great Freeze, Boy 412 discovers that Aunt Zelda spends hours in the tunnel attached to her cupboard. That same day, Nicko and Jenna rescue Stanley from Jack’s shack. Jenna recognizes the emaciated rodent as the Message Rat, and she tends to him throughout a “long and fretful week” (328) while he lies ill with a fever.

After Stanley recovers, he delivers his message to Marcia. The message, allegedly from Silas, asks Marcia to return to the Castle: “There has been a development. I will be at the Palace Gate at midnight, every night, until your arrival” (331). Aunt Zelda, Nicko, and Jenna note that the message doesn’t sound like Silas and makes no mention of Simon. However, Marcia is angry that the message doesn’t mention her KeepSafe charm, and she resolves to find Silas and berate him in person. Although Stanley wants to warn the kind Wizards that the message is really from the Supreme Custodian, his professional integrity prevents him from revealing this.

That night, Boy 412 discovers Marcia preparing to teleport herself to the Castle. He tries to return her wing charm, but she asks him to keep it since she still hopes that he’ll change his mind and become her Apprentice. Marcia disappears from the cottage and reappears in front of the Castle’s gates. The Custodian Guards seize the Akhu Amulet and throw her into a dungeon, where her Magykal powers are sealed away by DomDaniel. A ghost happens upon her and brings Alther to the despairing former ExtraOrdinary Wizard.

The narrative flashes back to the night that Jenna and Nicko rescued Stanley. Aunt Zelda takes Jenna outside to admire the night sky because she knew Jenna’s biological grandmother and mother both loved stars. Zelda doesn’t know the name of Jenna’s biological father, who left on an unknown quest before his daughter’s birth. She promises to tell Jenna more about her lineage in the summer.

The narrative moves forward to the morning after Marcia’s return to the Castle. Aunt Zelda is concerned and angry that the Wizard left without telling her. When 10 days pass without any sign of Marcia, Aunt Zelda loses hope that she will return.