The Spook’s Revenge: Book 13 (Spooks) (14 page)

Then I thought of Alice; the image of her kissing the mage came unbidden into my mind. All the previous memories I had of her – the dangers we’d faced, the adventures we’d shared; our conversations and feelings of warmth and friendship – were eclipsed by that. I felt bitter and angry.

I could now hear footsteps closing in behind me. More figures emerged from the trees on each side. I was surrounded.

I would die here, but I resolved to take as many of these creatures with me as possible. A cold rage began to fill me as I reflected that not only had Alice betrayed me; after all those years of training to be a spook, I would never become one. It seemed so unfair.

But I took a deep breath and thrust those thoughts of injustice, betrayal and despair out of my mind, for they threatened to overwhelm me. I was a spook’s apprentice and here, facing my last battle, I would leave the sword and dagger in their scabbards. I would take up my staff, as John Gregory had first taught me.

As I glanced about me, attempting to judge which of these denizens of the dark would reach me first, out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure on horseback approaching at a canter; a dark rider, clothes black like the horse.

I turned to face my first opponent, wondering who it could be, mounted like that. Witches didn’t usually ride horses. But then I remembered how Wurmalde had led a horde of Pendle witches to loot the farm, capture my brother and his family and steal Mam’s boxes; she had come on horseback. So, although unlikely, it could be a witch.

Perhaps it was the mage Lukrasta. Maybe this was my chance to save Alice from his dominance. If I could kill him before the others reached me, I might somehow be able to reclaim her from the dark.

It was then that I noticed something strange. The figure sat very upright, with legs that gripped the horse oddly. There was no saddle; the rider was tied to the horse with a number of leather straps that passed underneath its belly.

At that moment I realized who it was.

Grimalkin!

She brought her mount to a halt at my side and smiled at me without showing her teeth. My heart soared, filling with sudden hope. Perhaps I could escape after all.

‘You have done well!’ she cried, pointing to the Fiend’s head.

She took it by the hair and tied it to the leather straps before bidding me to mount up behind her. I handed her my staff while I struggled onto its back. I glanced round as I did so, hearing cries of anger and seeing that some of the witches were now running towards us.

Once I was in position, Grimalkin gave me back my staff and drew two of her blades. Then, without further ado, she rode straight for our advancing enemies.

As we galloped through the line, her blades flashed in the moonlight. Howls of anger and pain filled the night sky. The only horses I had ever ridden had been heavy shire ones used for ploughing, so with one hand I clung to Grimalkin, fearful of falling. Nevertheless I managed to stab my staff downwards with the other, helping to fend off the witches.

Soon we were through, and riding north towards Chipenden. As we rode a strong stench of urine filled my nostrils. That was little wonder. No doubt Grimalkin had ridden for over a day to reach me and she would have been unable to dismount. I thought of her broken leg and remembered the terrible sight of the bone jutting through the flesh. I knew that she must be in terrible pain.

At dawn we halted at the edge of a dense wood; saplings fought for space and light below the mature trees. We could hear the roar of water nearby.

I dismounted and, using my blades, cut a path down to a fast-flowing stream. It took a long time because I was so weak; all I really wanted to do was sleep. From the bank I looked up and saw, high above, a waterfall crashing down into the torrent. There was also a rocky ledge beside it, where a few of the saplings had been able to take root. I decided to make camp there.

First Grimalkin used her magic to cloak our hiding place. Then I untied her legs and helped her down from the horse. To my surprise she was able to stand, but walked with a bad limp. The Fiend’s head was still was attached to the horse, along with a bag of oats, which she fed to the animal. Meanwhile I went off to find sustenance for us. It would have to be rabbits again.

Wearily, struggling to stay awake, I set traps on the edge of the thickets; within an hour I had snared two plump rabbits. When I carried them back to our hiding place, I halted in surprise and confusion. Grimalkin was standing naked beneath the waterfall, scrubbing the dirt from her body.

‘I’m sorry,’ I muttered, turning my back in embarrassment.

I heard her step out of the cascading water and take two steps towards me, squeezing the water out of her hair. Then there was a rustling sound and I knew that she was pulling on her dress again.

‘There is nothing wrong with nakedness,’ she said softly. ‘But this body has been badly damaged and must be healed if I am ever to fight again as I once did. Turn and look at my leg.’

I did as she asked. It was twisted and withered, the muscle wasted away. I could see why she limped.

‘I healed the flesh and bone with my magic so that I could ride to your assistance. Your master did his best to set it, but he is not a bone surgeon. It will be necessary to break the leg again and begin the process anew. Once we are back at Chipenden, will you help me to do that?’

‘Of course I will,’ I promised, wondering what my part would be. I shuddered at the thought of helping to break her leg again, but how could I refuse?

‘Good – now you wash the dirt from your own body. You needn’t be shy. I will be busy cooking our breakfast.’

I waded in under the cascade, the cold water making me gasp and reviving me. Afterwards we sat before the embers of the fire and ate the succulent rabbits. I didn’t have much appetite after all that had happened, but I forced the food down. I needed to keep up my strength; it was still many miles back to Chipenden and I didn’t know when I’d next get a chance to eat.

I told Grimalkin about the tower. ‘That’s where I found the head. Alice was inside too; she was with Lukrasta.’

‘My magic told me something of what occurred, but I would like the details, and from your own lips. Afterwards I will tell you what I know.’

I nodded and began my tale, starting with my pursuit of the witches. When I told her of the team of horses drawing the long coffin that contained the Fiend’s body, her eyes widened in surprise.

‘I did not see that!’ she exclaimed. ‘I should have been aware of the danger the moment they withdrew the silver spears from his body. I cast a spell upon them – I should have been alerted the moment they were touched. Very powerful magic has been used here. It must indeed be Lukrasta.’

I continued my story, describing how I had summoned the boggart to assist me; how I had retreated down the tower steps, and how Kratch had attacked, killing all in sight as well as those inside. Yet I did not tell Grimalkin the boggart’s name. I held that back, for it was knowledge that only the boggart and I should share.

Finally I described how I’d seen Alice on the balcony with Lukrasta but had later found their room empty.

‘They had shared a bed.’ I was bitter, hearing the wobble in my voice. ‘She wants to be with him . . .’ It hurt me to say that aloud, but in a strange way it eased my pain to have it out in the open.

I passed Alice’s note to Grimalkin. She read it quickly, then handed it back.

‘Do you think she’s in her right mind?’ I asked her. ‘Does Lukrasta control her by the use of dark magic?’

It was a long time before Grimalkin replied. At last she shook her head sadly. ‘I am sorry, Tom. What has happened is my fault. I made a mistake – the second most important mistake of my life.’

Her greatest mistake was no doubt sleeping with the Fiend and having to suffer the consequences. He had slain her newborn baby, dashing his brains out against a rock.

‘I meant well,’ she continued. ‘I wanted to avoid a ritual that demanded the sacrifice of Alice, whom I have always liked and respected. She is brave and has great potential, so I tried to find another way. Then, by chance, when I was in Todmorden, despatching the last of the vampiric entities there, I found the
Doomdryte
. I promised you that I would follow John Gregory’s wishes and destroy it, but when it came into my hands, I lied and said I could not find it.

‘You see, I believed that Alice was powerful enough to use that grimoire to complete the ritual. The power gained from it, when added to her own innate ability, would have been enough to destroy the Fiend. I waited for her to return from the dark, and then we hid in the cottage near Chipenden while we readied ourselves for what had to be done. But as I said, I made a big mistake. Lukrasta was supposed to have died when he failed to complete the ritual. That was a lie he spread around so that others would not seek to do the same and gain power equal to his own. No sooner had Alice opened the book than Lukrasta appeared in the room beside us. I think he must have touched it with his magic so that he could be warned of any such attempt.’

‘Did the other witches attack at the same moment?’

‘Yes – within minutes of his appearance. When Lukrasta first materialized, I attempted to use my blades against him, but his magic was so powerful that I could not even move. I told you previously that I did not know what happened to Alice . . . forgive me . . . that was a white lie to save your feelings. Now I must tell you the truth. I thought that Alice would try to use her own magic to defend us, but she just stared at him, an expression of wonder on her face. Then they smiled at each other and embraced.’

My heart plummeted and emotion constricted my throat.

Grimalkin stared at me and shook her head. ‘I am sorry, but you needed to know. It was as if Alice and Lukrasta had found one another after a long search. It seemed that they were soul mates who recognized each other in an instant; who had always been meant to be together. Take my advice, Tom, and put Alice from your mind.’

I could not speak, and tears welled in my eyes. If Grimalkin noted that, she did not show it but simply continued with her tale.

‘I was paralysed and in a trance, completely in thrall to the mage. Lukrasta wanted to kill me – I cannot remember what was said because my mind was befuddled, but I think Alice pleaded for my life. He also wanted to take the Fiend’s head with him, but again Alice opposed him. She said it was better to let the other witches collect it. There were already many on their way and I would be unable to fight them all off. She was eager to get away and he seemed to be of a similar mind. And then they both simply vanished into thin air. I finally found the strength to climb to my feet, but before I could get away from the cottage the Fiend’s servants attacked.

‘Three times I fought them off; I almost broke through their lines and escaped. But I was still suffering from the effects of Lukrasta’s magic and I was not at my best. At last I was forced to retreat into the cottage. An abhuman wielding a heavy club struck me a terrible blow, breaking my leg. I fought on from my knees, but then they managed to snatch the leather sack and it was all over. They had what they wanted – the Fiend’s head – and thought that I was dying anyway. So they left me kneeling in a pool of my own blood and fled.

‘I thought that my time on earth had finally come to an end, but then you and your master found me. So I live to fight again. You have done well to retrieve the head.’

‘But what chance do we have against Lukrasta? What powers does he have that make him so strong?’

‘The power gained by one who has completed the ritual successfully is no doubt great. But I do not believe that it makes you a god. When Lukrasta attacked, I could do nothing against him, but that was partly because I was taken completely by surprise. Next time I will be ready, and I already know one way in which his magic might be neutralized. I need time to think about all this – time to prepare so that we may yet prove victorious.’

‘We will win!’ I exclaimed. ‘We
have
to win!’

Yes, I thought to myself, we might still triumph over the Fiend and his servants. We might win.

But I had lost Alice.

AS WE SET
off for Chipenden again, Grimalkin no longer needed to be tied to the horse. But although she said nothing, I could see that she was in pain.

We completed the journey without having to engage any of our enemies. Once, we saw a large party of witches in the distance, heading in the same direction as us, but we soon left them behind.

Eventually the grey roofs of Chipenden were visible, and shortly afterwards we arrived at the boundary of the Spook’s garden. I heard a low growl from the shrubs that bordered the first of the trees. Kratch was safely back and was challenging Grimalkin.

After calling out to the boggart that I was bringing Grimalkin with me, we rode up to the front door. My master came out to greet us, an expression of relief on his face; he nodded with satisfaction at the sight of the Fiend’s head once more in Grimalkin’s possession.

‘You’ve both done well!’ he exclaimed. ‘I hardly dared hope that you’d succeed!’