Lockwood (49 page)

Sight

The psychic ability to see
apparitions
and other ghostly phenomena, such as
death-glows
. One of the three main varieties of psychic
Talent
.

Silver

An important and potent
defence
against
ghosts
. Worn by many people as
wards
in the form of jewellery. Agents use it to coat their
rapiers
, and as a crucial component of their
seals
.

Silver-glass

A special ‘ghost-proof’ glass used to encase
Sources
.

Source

The object or place through which a
ghost
enters the world.

Spectre
^fn2

The most commonly encountered
Type Two ghost
. A Spectre always forms a clear, detailed
apparition
, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Spectres are less nebulous than
Phantasms
and less hideous than
Wraiths
, but equally varied in behaviour. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living – perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.

Stalker
^fn1

A
Type One ghost
that seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at
Listening
often detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.

Stone Knocker
^fn1

A desperately uninteresting
Type One ghost
, which does precious little apart from tap.

Talent

The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect
ghosts
. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the
night watch
. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the
agencies
. The three main categories of Talent are
Sight
,
Listening
and
Touch
.

Tom O’Shadows
^fn1

A London term for a
Lurker
or
Shade
that lingers in doorways, arches or alleyways. An everyday, urban
ghost
.

Touch

The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or a supernatural
manifestation
. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of
Talent
.

Type One

The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of
ghost
. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behaviour. Commonly encountered examples include:
Shades
,
Lurkers
and
Stalkers
. See also
Cold Maiden
,
Floating Bride
,
Glimmer
,
Pale Stench
,
Stone Knocker
and
Tom O’Shadows
.

Type Two

The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of
ghost
. Type Twos are stronger than
Type Ones
, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are:
Spectres
,
Phantasms
and
Wraiths
. See also
Dark Spectre
,
Fetch
,
Limbless
,
Poltergeist
,
Raw-bones
and
Shining Boy
.

Type Three

A very rare grade of
ghost
, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. Allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.

Visitor

A
ghost
.

Ward

An object, usually of
iron
or
silver
, used to keep
ghosts
away. Small wards may be worn as jewellery on the person; larger ones, hung up around the house, are often equally decorative.

Water, running

It was observed in ancient times that
ghosts
dislike crossing running water. In modern Britain this knowledge is sometimes used against them. In central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protects the main shopping district. On a smaller scale, some house-owners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.

Wraith
^fn2

A dangerous
Type Two ghost
. Wraiths are similar to
Spectres
in strength and patterns of behaviour, but are far more horrible to look at. Their
apparitions
show the deceased in his or her dead state: gaunt and shrunken, horribly thin, sometimes rotten and wormy. Wraiths often appear as skeletons. They radiate a powerful
ghost-lock
. See also
Gallows Wraith
,
Raw-bones
.

Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford in 1970. After studying English Literature at York University, he moved to London, where he worked as an editor in a publishing firm. He is the author of the best-selling BARTIMAEUS sequence, which is published in 35 languages and has sold 6 million copies worldwide. As well as four other novels: HEROES OF THE VALLEY, THE LAST SIEGE, THE LEAP and BURIED FIRE, Jonathan is now writing a chilling new series called LOCKWOOD & CO. He lives in Hertfordshire with his family.

Buried Fire

The Leap

The Last Siege

Heroes of the Valley

The Bartimaeus series

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Golem’s Eye

Ptolemy’s Gate

The Ring of Solomon

The Amulet of Samarkand: Graphic Novel

Lockwood & Co.

The Screaming Staircase

www.
lockwoodbooks
.co.uk

www.
jonathanstroud
.com

LOCKWOOD & CO.: THE WHISPERING SKULL
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 15870 6

Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
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This ebook edition published 2014

Copyright © Jonathan Stroud, 2014

Cover illustration © Alessandro ‘Talexi’ Taini, 2014

Interior illustrations copyright © Kate Adams, 2014

First Published in Great Britain

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