Merrin Meredith has returned to the Palace, bringing trouble and Darke Magyk with him. More trouble arrives in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of a dead ExtraOrdinary Wizard who is determined to send Septimus on a Queste that he doesn't want to go on. The Queste will lead him to the mysterious House of Foryx, the Place Where All Times Do Meet, and the place where Septimus, Jenna, and Bettle fervently hope that they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in Physik.