The Spook's Battle (5 page)

 "I don't know yet, lad. But as you have the only key, how did they get into the room without breaking the door? You say your mam protected the room in some way to keep out evil?""Yes, but Alice thinks they made Jack go in because they couldn't enter themselves. There was blood on the wall and the floor," I said. "I think they must have hurt Jack and made him go in and fetch out the chests --though how the door was opened is still a mystery. Mam said that room was a refuge --"I felt myself choke with emotion, and the Spook came forward and patted my shoulder in reassurance.

  Then he waited silently until I'd gotten my voice under control."Come on, lad, tell me.""She said that, once it was locked, I could go in there and be safe from anything evil on the outside. That it was even better protected than your house. But I was only to use it when I was being pursued by something so terrible that my life and soul were at risk. She said that there was a price to pay for using it. That I was young and it would be all right, but that you couldn't use it. And that if it ever became necessary, I had to tell you that."The Spook nodded thoughtfully and scratched at his beard. "Well, lad, it gets more and more mysterious. I sense something deep here. Something I've never come across before. What we face is even more difficult now that innocent victims are involved, but we've no choice but to go ahead. We'll be setting off for Pendle within the hour--we can find somewhere to sleep on the way and arrive after dawn, when it's safer. I'll do all I can to help your family, but I have to tell you this: There's more at stake here than just their lives. As you know, I've decided to try and deal with the Pendle witches once and for all. And not a moment too soon --Father Stocks brought some very bad news. It seems that the rumors were true. The Malkins and the Deanes have already called a truce, and moves are now afoot to get the Mouldheels to join them. So it's as bad as I feared. Do you know what happens on the first of August, less than two weeks from today? "

 I shook my head. My birthday was on the third of that month. That was the only date in August with any significance for me."Well, lad, it's about time you did know. It's one of the feasts of the old gods. They call it Lammas, and it's a time when witches' covens gather to worship and draw down power from the dark.""It's one of the main four sabbaths in the witches'year, isn't it? I've read about them, but I didn't know all the dates.""Well, you know the date of Lammas now. And from what Father Stocks has told me, it seems that the Pendle witches are getting ready to attempt something especially dark and dangerous on that date. And the big danger is that the Mouldheels will join in and all three covens will be united, which will greatly increase their powers. It must be something big to draw them together like this.Father Stocks has never known so many attacks on graveyards --bones aplenty have been taken. The bad news about your brother and his family complicates things, but it's clear enough what our priorities are."We need to get into Pendle and meet up with Father Stocks at Downham. We need to stop the Mouldheels from joining that unholy alliance, and we need to find those who've been taken. If young Alice can help us with that, all well and good. Otherwise we'll have to go hunting ourselves."

 Our bags were packed, and all we had to do was step out through the front door and lock it behind us. At last we'd be off to Pendle, and not a moment too soon. But now, to my dismay, the Spook sat down on a stool beside the kitchen table, took the whetstone from his bag, and lifted his staff. There was a click as the retractable blade shot forward, followed by a grating sound as he began to sharpen its edge.He looked up at me and sighed. He'd read the impatience and anxiety in my face. "Look, lad, I know you're desperate to get on the road, and with good reason. But we have to do things properly and be ready for any eventuality. I've a bad feeling about this trip. So if at any time I tell you to run for it and use that special room of your mam's, will you do it?""What? And leave you behind?""Aye, that's exactly what I mean. Somebody has to continue our trade. I've never been one for praising my apprentices much. Praise can be bad for you. It can go to your head and give an inflated sense of worth so that you rest on your laurels. But I will say this. Without doubt you've become what your mam once promised--you are the best apprentice I've ever had. I can't go on forever, so you might indeed be my last apprentice, the one I have to prepare to carry on my work in the County. If I do say the word, leave Pendle at once, without either a question or a back-ward glance, and take refuge in that room. Do you understand?"I nodded."And if it's necessary, will you obey me?""Yes," I said. "I'll do it."At last the Spook was satisfied, and there was a click as the blade retracted back into the staff. Carrying both our bags and my own staff, I followed the Spook outside and waited until he'd locked the door behind us. He paused for a moment, looked up at the house, then turned and smiled at me sadly."Right, lad, let's get on our way! We've delayed enough already!"

East To Pendle

W
e traveled east from Chipenden, keeping to the southern edge of the Bowland Fells before curving away to cross the River Ribble's pleasant,tree-lined banks. I'd have hardly known it for the same wide tidal river that had run through Priestown, but, once across, I began to feel more and more uneasy.

 "Well, there it is, lad," said the Spook, coming to a halt some distance from a stream that lay in our path. He pointed at Pendle Hill, which had been growing steadily as we advanced toward it. "Not a pretty sight, is it? "I couldn't help agreeing. Although its shape reminded me of the Long Ridge, a local fell beyond the valley to the south of Chipenden, this was larger and more daunting. Above it was suspended a threatening bank of thick black clouds."Some say that it looks like a great beached whale," said the Spook. "Well, never having seen a whale myself, I can't be the judge of that. Others say it looks like an upturned boat. I can just about see that, but the comparison hardly does it justice. What do you think, lad?"

 I studied the scene carefully. The light -was beginning to fail, but the hill itself seemed to radiate darkness. It had a brooding presence."It could almost be alive," I said, choosing my words with care. "It's as if there's something malevolent inside it and it's casting a spell over everything."

 "Couldn't have put it better myself, lad," said the Spook, leaning on his staff and looking very thoughtful. "But one thing's for sure: There's an unholy host of malevolent witches living within sight of it. Now, it'll be dark in half an hour and we'd be wise to stay this side of that stream until dawn. Then we can press on into Pendle."That we did, settling down in the shelter of a hedge. Half the width of a field separated us from the stream, but as I slipped down into sleep, I could hear it murmuring gently in the distance.We were up at dawn and, without even a nibble of cheese to sustain us, quickly crossed the stream and pressed on toward Downham, a faint drizzle drifting into our faces. We were heading north, with Pendle Hill to our right, but we soon lost sight of it as we entered a dense wood of sycamore and ash."Here's something to note," the Spook said, leading me across to a large oak tree. "What do you make of that?"There was a strange carving on the trunk. I peered at it closely."Is it meant to be a pair of scissors?" I asked."Aye," said the Spook grimly. "But they're not intended to cut cloth. That's a mark carved by Grimalkin, the witch assassin. Her trade is death and torture, and the Malkins send her out against their enemies. She's carved that as a warning. 'Pendle is my territory,' she's saying. 'Cross me and I'll snip away your flesh and your bone!'"I shuddered and stepped away from the tree.

 "Maybe I'll cross blades with her one day," said the Spook. "The world would certainly be a better place if she were dead. But although she's a ruthless killer, she lives by a code of honor --she would never use guile. She likes it best when the odds are against her, but once she's got the upper hand, watch out for those scissors!"Shaking his head, the Spook led the way toward Downham. I'd learned a lot about Pendle in the last couple of days, and I knew it was a dangerous place to be. No doubt there was worse to come.The main village street meandered down the side of a steep hill. For reasons of his own, the Spook circled round to enter Downham from the north. Pendle Hill was directly ahead of us, dominating the village completely, filling half the sky with its brooding presence. Although it was already midmorning and the drizzle had come to a halt, there wasn't a soul about."Where is everybody?" I asked the Spook."Hiding behind their curtains--where else, lad?" he said with a grim smile. "No doubt minding everyone else's business but their own!"

 "Will they tell the witches that we're here?" I asked, watching a lace curtain twitch to my left."I've brought us here by something of a serpentine way so as to avoid certain places where sight of us wouldn't go unreported. No doubt there'll be a few spies here anyway, but Downham is still the safest place in the whole district. That's why we're going to make it our base. For that we owe thanks to Father Stocks. He's been the parish priest here for over ten years and has done all he can to battle with the dark and keep it at a distance. But from what he tells me, even this village is now under threat. People are leaving. They're getting clear of Pendle altogether --some of them good families that have made this their home for generations."The small parish church was to the south of the village, just beyond a stream. It was set within a huge graveyard filled with rows and rows of tombstones of every conceivable shape and size. Many were horizontal, almost hidden by the long grass and weeds; others jutted out of the ground at any angle but the vertical, resembling rotting teeth. In all, this cemetery spoke of neglect, the headstones weather-beaten, their inscriptions faded or covered in lichen and moss."The graves could do with a bit of a tidy up," observed the Spook.

 "I'm surprised Father Stocks has allowed it to fall into neglect like this. ..."The presbytery *was a good-sized cottage set back under a dozen or so yew trees about a hundred yards beyond the church. We reached it by walking in single file along a narrow, overgrown path that snaked through the tombstones. When we arrived at the front door, the Spook rapped hard on it three times. After a few moments we heard the sound of heavy boots on flags; then a bolt was drawn back and the door opened. Father Stocks stood there, a look of astonishment on his face."Well, this is a surprise, John," he said, relaxing his face into a smile. "I wasn't expecting you until later in the week. Anyway, come in, the both of you, and make yourselves at home!"We followed him through to the kitchen at the back of the house, and he invited us to sit down. "Have you eaten?" he asked as we each pulled a chair away from the table. "What about you, young Tom? You look hungry enough to eat a horse!"

 "I am hungry, Father," I told him, glancing toward the Spook, "but I'm not sure if we should be eating. ..."The Spook always insists that we fast when working because it makes us less vulnerable to the power of the dark, so we usually make do with a nibble of County cheese to keep our strength up. A spook's life is not only scary, dangerous, and lonely; it often means going hungry as well."It wouldn't do any harm to eat breakfast," said the Spook, to my surprise. "We need information before anything else, and I was hoping, Father, that you'd be the man to get it for us. So we won't get much done ourselves until tomorrow. This could be the last square meal we eat for quite some time, so, yes, please, I think we'll accept your kind invitation."

 "So be it!" exclaimed Father Stocks, his face lighting up. "I'll be happy to help in any way I can, but let's cook first and talk while we eat. I'll make the three of us a hearty breakfast, but I might need a hand. Know how to cook sausages, young Tom?" I was about to say "Yes," but the Spook shook his head at that and came to his feet. "Nay, Father, don't let that lad o' mine near a frying pan! I've tasted his cooking before, and my stomach's still not forgiven me!"I smiled but didn't protest, and while the Spook was busy frying the sausages, Father Stocks got two other pans going --one sizzling away with thick rashers of bacon and slices of onion, the other struggling to contain a large cheese omelet, which was gradually turning a golden brown.I sat at the table while they cooked, hungry but guilty at the same time. My mouth -was watering at the smells wafting toward me, but I couldn't stop worrying about Ellie, Jack, and Mary, wondering if they were all right. They certainly wouldn't be getting a breakfast like this.

 I wondered how Alice was doing, too. I'd been half expecting to find that she'd arrived at Downham with news. I hoped she hadn't run into trouble."Well, young Tom," said Father Stocks, "there's something you can do to help without damaging your master's stomach too much. Butter us some bread, and make it a big plateful!"I did as I was told, and no sooner had I finished than three hot plates arrived at the table, each heaped with bacon, sausages, and fried onion next to a big slice of omelet."Had a good journey here from Chipenden?" Father Stocks asked as we tucked into the food."I'm not complaining, but things have taken a turn for the worse since we last spoke," answered the Spook.While we ate, my master told Father Stocks about the raid on Jack's farm and the abduction of my brother and his family. He also mentioned that Alice had traveled on ahead to Pendle. By the time he'd finished the tale, we'd cleared our plates.

 "I'm sorry to hear such news, Tom," Father Stocks said, laying his hand on my shoulder. "I'll remember them in my prayers."At those words, an icy chill ran down my spine. He was talking as if they were already dead. In any case, what good were prayers? We'd delayed too long already and needed to start searching. I felt the heat in my face as I started to grow angry. Only politeness made me bite my tongue. Although my dad was dead now, I could still use the manners he'd taught me.It was as if Father Stocks had read my mind. "Don't you worry, Tom," he said in a kindly voice. "We'll put things to rights. Heaven helps those who help themselves--I'm a great believer in that. I'll do what I can, and maybe young Alice will arrive with news before the day's out.""I'd hoped that Alice might have called here already," I said."So had I, lad. So had I," said the Spook in a tone of voice that started the anger rising within me again. "Let's hope she's not up to any mischief--""That's unfair after all she's done," I protested. "She's risking her life just by being here.""Aren't we all?" asked the Spook. "Look, lad, I don't mean to be hard on the girl, but this will be just about the biggest temptation she's ever faced. I'm not sure it was a good idea letting her come here on her own. Our families play a big part in shaping what we become, and Alice's family are witches. If she ends up back with them, anything could happen!""From what you've told me about her, John, I think we can be optimistic," said Father Stocks. "We may not all have faith in God, but that shouldn't stop us having faith in people. Anyway, she's probably on her way here right now. I might bump into her on my travels."