Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac

so,’ said Lord Collingford.
    ‘Why
didn’t you tell me?’
    ‘We
didn’t want to spoil your last day,’ said Lady Collingford hastily.
    ‘Well,
you’ve ruined it now, haven’t you?’ said Cedric and rushed out of the
sitting-room.
    He sped
down the long avenue of trees facing the front of the house while the rooks
wheeled and cawed overhead like omens of doom. Near the end of the drive
    Cedric
turned and looked back at Kings Farthing. The clock in the tower struck twelve
and Catweazle suddenly darted out from behind one of the trees.
    ‘What
ails thee, Owlface?’ he asked.
    ‘It’s
dreadful,’ said Cedric, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ ‘Nor I, my brother,’ said
Catweazle. ‘I cannot find the thirteenth Sign.’
    ‘We’ve
got to move,’ said Cedric.
    ‘Why?’
asked Catweazle, looking quickly round. ‘No one comes.’
    ‘Don’t
you understand? We’re leaving the place. Going away.’
    ‘Whither
art thou going?’
    ‘I
don’t know yet. Dad’s got to sell the house first and that won’t be easy — ’
    ‘But
the Sign! Thou must not go! Thou must help me find it so that I may fly!’
    ‘If
only I could find the treasure — ’
    ‘But,
the Sign — ’
    ‘Even
Groome’s upset. Look what he gave me.’ Catweazle looked at the telescope. ‘
’Tis magic?’ he asked.
    ‘No,’
said Cedric. ‘It makes things far away look much nearer.’
    ‘Then
’tis magic!’ said Catweazle, waving it like a wand. ‘O, thirteenth Sign,’ he
chanted, ‘draw thou near...’
    ‘Not
like that,’ said Cedric. ‘Point it at something,’ Catweazle pointed the
telescope at Kings Farthing. ‘No. Look,’ said Cedric, taking it from him, ‘I’ll
show you.’ He lifted the telescope to his eye, and pointing it at the tower,
focused it on the clockface.
    The
Roman figures round the dial seemed near enough to touch and Cedric could see
the minute hand creeping steadily away from the figure twelve.
    But
something was wrong.
    ‘Give
me the Seeing Pipe!’ cried Catweazle, impatiently trying to grab the telescope,
but Cedric fended him off and stared hard through the telescope at the Roman
twelve.
    It was
not XII, it was XIII.
    ‘Thirteen!’
gasped Cedric.
    ‘What
sayest thou?’ said Catweazle.
    ‘Thirteen!’
said Cedric, pointing wildly at the distant clock tower.
    ‘Thou
hast found it?’ Catweazle shouted. ‘The thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac?’
     
    ‘ “Twelve are they that circle round
    If power you seek they must be found,” ’
     
    said Cedric, suddenly
tremendously excited.
    ‘ “Then
look for where the thirteenth lies,” ’ Catweazle went on.
    ‘ “If
power you seek,” ’ repeated Cedric. ‘Power! Don’t you understand, Catweazle?
It’s the treasure!’
    ‘Treasure?’
    Cedric
gripped the magician by the arm. ‘ “Then look for where the thirteenth lies,” ’
he said. ‘Don’t you see? You read it wrong! Not thirteenth. Thirteen! And it
lies. It’s only pretending to be twelve.’
    Catweazle
peered down the wrong end of the telescope. ‘I can see nothing,’ he said.
    Cedric
grapped it back and focused it on the clock face. There was no doubt about it.
It was XIII.
    ‘ “And
mount aloft — the one who flies,” ’ he muttered. Raising the telescope, he
pointed it at the weathervane on the steeple above the clock tower. The figure
was that of Father Time carrying an hour-glass and a scythe.
    ‘ ‘The
one who flies!” ’ breathed Cedric.
    Now he
was sure the treasure was somewhere in the dock tower. Lord Alfred’s rhyme
contained all the clues. He put the telescope in his pocket and began to run
back up the drive with Catweazle close behind.
    ‘The
thirteenth Sign! The quest is at an end! I shall fly! I shall fly!’ shouted the
magician as he ran.
    When
they reached the main entrance, Cedric tried to stop him from following, but
nothing could shake off Catweazle now. ‘ ’Tis the great moment,’ he said, ‘I
must come with thee.’
    They
ran up the stairs and along the passages which led to the tower. Up the steps
they panted until finally, opening a trap door, they climbed the ladder into
the clock chamber.
    ‘It’s
up here somewhere,’ said Cedric, looking round the dusty little room, ‘it must
be,’ but a search revealed nothing but an empty tea chest and some rusty
chains.
    Suddenly,
Cedric looked up at the ceiling. ‘I’ve got it!’ he cried.
    ‘Then
give it to me!’ said Catweazle.
    Cedric
pointed upwards. ‘Lord Alfred built