'What was it like back there?' I asked. 'Where did you stay?'
'Mostly with Agnes Sowerbutts. Tried to keep away from the others but it ain't been easy.'
Agnes was her aunt – a Deane who lived on the far edge of the clan village and kept herself to herself. She used a mirror to see what was going on in the world, but was a healer and certainly not a malevolent witch; bad as Pendle was, Alice had stayed at the best possible place. But what did she mean by 'the others'?
'Who else did you see?'
'Mab Mouldheel and her two sisters.'
'What did they want?'
Mab, although no more than fifteen or so, was the leader of the Mouldheel Clan. She was one of the most powerful scryers in the whole of the Pendle district, able to use a mirror to see clear visions of the future. She was also malevolent and often used human blood.
'They knew about the journey to Greece and what we were going to do because Mab scryed it. They wanted to come too.'
'But Mab played a big part in bringing the Fiend through the portal, Alice. Why would she want to destroy one of his servants?'
'They realize they done wrong and want to put it right. Don't you remember how Mab was reluctant to join with the other two clans? Soft on you, she was, and only did it because you betrayed her and drove her from Malkin Tower.'
That was true enough. I'd tricked her into releasing Mam's two sisters, feral lamias, from the trunks. In revenge she'd led her clan into an alliance with the Deanes and Malkins to raise the Fiend.
'So what happened, Alice? Are they here? Are they going to travel with us?'
'Your mam told me to contact Mab again and ask her to come. Ain't arrived yet but they'll be here soon enough.'
'Apart from Mam, do any of the witches know who your father is?'
Alice shook her head and looked about her furtively.
'I've told nobody,' she whispered. 'As far as they're concerned, my dad was Arthur Deane, and I want to keep it that way. If they knew who I really was, none of 'em would trust me.
'Anyway, you hungry, Tom?' she went on, raising her voice again. 'Got some rabbits cooking, I have. Just how you like 'em!'
'No, thanks, Alice,' I told her. As much as I wanted to be with her, I needed time to collect my thoughts.
There was a lot to come to terms with.
She looked disappointed and a little hurt. 'Your mam's told us all to keep well away from the house in case we upset Jack and Ellie. Don't want witches too close, do they? Only way we'll see each other is if you come out here to me.'
'Don't worry, Alice. I'll do that. I'll come out tomorrow evening.'
'Do you promise?' she asked doubtfully.
'Yes, I promise.'
'Look forward to that, then. Will you eat your supper with me tomorrow?'
'Of course. See you then.'
'Just one more thing before you go back to the farm, Tom. Grimalkin's here. She's coming to Greece with us too. She wants to talk to you. Over there, she is,' Alice said, pointing to the large oak tree just beyond the meadow. 'Best you go and see her now.'
We hugged as we parted – it was really good to hold her again. Then it was time to face Grimalkin. I looked towards the tree and my heart began to beat more rapidly. Grimalkin was the witch assassin of the Malkins. At one time she'd hunted me down, ready to kill me, but the last time I'd seen her we'd fought side by side.
Better get it over with, I thought, and with a smile and a nod to Alice, I set off towards the corner of the field. There was a gap in the hawthorn hedge so I pushed my way through, to find the witch assassin waiting there with her back to the old oak.
Her arms were at her sides, but as usual her lithe body was criss-crossed with leather straps and sheaths holding deadly weapons: blades, hooks and the scary scissors she used to snip the flesh and bone of her enemies.
Her black-painted lips grinned to reveal the sharp teeth within; they had been filed to deadly points. But despite all that, she had a kind of wild beauty about her; the grace and aura of a natural predator.
'Well, child, we meet again,' she said. 'When we last talked, I promised you a gift to mark your age.'
In Pendle, she'd told me, on the Walpurgis Night sabbath following his fourteenth birthday, the boy child of a witch clan became a man. I'd turned fourteen on August the third last year, and Walpurgis Night had already passed. She'd promised me something special to mark the occasion, and she'd asked me to go to Pendle to get it. There'd been little chance of that. I hardly thought the Spook would have approved of me accepting a gift from a witch!
'Are you ready to receive it now, child?' Grimalkin asked me.
'It depends what it is,' I said, trying to keep my voice as friendly and polite as possible despite what I felt inside.
She nodded, leaned away from the tree and took a step towards me. Her eyes stared hard into mine and I suddenly felt very nervous and vulnerable.
She smiled. 'It may help if I tell you that your mother agrees that I should do this. If you don't believe me, then ask her.'
Grimalkin didn't lie – she lived by a strict code of honour. But was my mam in contact with all the witches in Pendle? I wondered. Bit by bit, it seemed, everything I believed in, everything my master had taught me, was unravelling. What Mam wanted for me seemed to be constantly clashing with the wishes of the Spook. I had another decision to make, and whatever I decided, one of the two would be unhappy. But once again I decided that Mam's needs had to take precedence over those of my master, so I gave Grimalkin a brief nod and agreed to accept the gift.
'Here, child. It's a blade . . .' She held out a leather pouch. 'Take it.'
While she watched, I unwrapped it to reveal the short dagger within. I saw then that the pouch was actually a sheath and strap.
'You wear it diagonally across your shoulder and back,' she explained. 'The sheath should be positioned at the nape of your neck so that you can reach for it over your right shoulder. The blade is very potent and can damage even very powerful servants of the dark!'
'Could it destroy the Fiend?' I asked.
Grimalkin shook her head. 'No, child. I only wish that it could – I would have used it long ago. But I also have a second gift for you. Come closer – I won't bite!'
I took a nervous step forward. Grimalkin spat into her right hand and quickly dipped her left forefinger into the spittle. Next she leaned forward, traced a wet circle on my forehead and muttered something under her breath. For a moment I felt an intense cold inside my head, and then a tingling that ran the length of my spine.
'There, it's done, child. It is yours to use now.'
'What is it?' I asked.
'My second gift is a dark wish. Has your master never told you about such things?'
I shook my head, feeling sure he'd be furious if he knew I'd received such a thing from a witch. 'What is it?'
'It is called "dark" because nobody, even those skilled in scrying, can foretell when and how it will be used or the outcome of using it. It cost me much to create: years of stored power that you can now unleash with a few words. So only use it when you need something badly and all else fails. Begin with the words "I wish" and state what you want clearly. Afterwards repeat your wish a second time. Then it will be done.'
I felt uncomfortable even thinking about using such dark power.
Grimalkin turned to go. 'Remember to use the dark wish with great care. Don't waste it. Don't use it lightly.'
With that she pushed her way through the hedge and set off for the nearest campfire without even a backward glance.
I went back towards the farmhouse and found Arkwright chaining up his three dogs in the barn.
'Don't like to do this, Master Ward, but it's for the best. Claw's very territorial. Your farm dogs wouldn't last long if I let her roam free.'
'Have you decided? Are you coming with us to Greece?' I asked.
'That I am. My one worry is leaving the north of the County unattended. No doubt there'll be more than one water witch
to deal with on my return, but your mam's talked me round. She's a very persuasive woman. So the County will just have to manage: for now, the really important work lies across the sea.'
'Has Mam said when we'll be leaving?' I asked. It struck me that she wasn't telling me much at all.
'In two days at the most, Master Ward. We'll be travelling to Sunderland Point and sailing from there. And don't worry about your old master, Mr Gregory. He's set in his ways, but sometimes there are other means to achieving the ends we seek. If he doesn't come round, then you can always finish your apprenticeship with me. I'd gladly take you on again.'
I thanked him for his kind offer, but deep down I was still disappointed. Much as I liked Arkwright, he wasn't John Gregory and it hurt to think I wouldn't complete my apprenticeship with him as my master.
I turned towards the farmhouse to see Jack bringing in the cows for milking.
'Who was that?' he asked. 'Another spook by the looks of him.'
'Yes,' I said. 'It was Bill Arkwright from the north of the County. Mam sent for him.'
'Oh,' he said, far from happy. 'Seems I'm the last to know who's visiting my own farm these days.'
Just then, carried on the breeze from the south, I heard a strange keening noise, halfway between singing and chanting. It was the witches, probably carrying out some sort of ritual.
'Mam says those witches are on our side,' Jack went on grimly, with a nod towards the south meadow. 'But what about the other lot from Pendle, the ones who aren't? Won't they visit the farm again when you've gone? When I'm alone here with just James and my family? That's what Ellie fears. She's been under such a lot of strain during the past two years. She's close to breaking point.'
I understood that. Ellie had always been afraid that my becoming a spook's apprentice would put them at risk from the dark. Her fears had proved well -founded, and last year she'd lost her unborn baby while a prisoner of the Malkins. There was nothing I could say to comfort Jack so I kept my mouth shut.
CHAPTER
6
A DREADFUL PROPHECY
That night at supper it was just me, Mam and James. It seemed that little Mary had an upset stomach so Jack and Ellie had taken her to bed early, but I suspected that my eldest brother wasn't happy with all that was happening at the farm and was staying away.
Mam was cheerful and kept the conversation going, but only James really responded much. Finally he went off to bed, leaving me alone with Mam.
'What's troubling you, son?' she asked.
'I'm confused, Mam.'
'Confused?'
'Aye. Take the witches . . . Do we really need them? They're clearly troubling Jack and Ellie, and without them the Spook would probably have come with us to Greece.'
'Sorry, son, but we do. For one thing they're excellent fighters, particularly Grimalkin, and we're going to need all the forces we can muster in the battle that faces us. The Ord is a terrifying place, and the Pendle witches are just about the only creatures I know who won't be too afraid to enter it. They all have their part to play.'
'What about Grimalkin's presents of the dark wish and the blade? She said you'd agreed to her giving them to me. How can it be right or safe to use anything that comes from the dark? You sent me off to be Mr Gregory's apprentice and now you're making me go against everything he's taught me.'
I saw a sadness in Mam's eyes. 'Only you can decide whether or not to use those two gifts, son. I'm also doing things I'd prefer not to. I'm doing them to win a great victory. You may have to do the same at some point. That's all I can say. Are you wearing the blade?'
'No, Mam, it's in my bag.'
'Then wear it, son. For me. Will you do that?'
'Yes, Mam. If that's what you want, then I must do it.'
Mam took my face in her hands and looked at me intently, willing me to understand the truth of what she was saying. 'If we fail, the County will suffer terribly. Then the rest of the world will follow. The Ordeen will be let loose, with the Fiend's power behind her. We need everything available to us to stop such evil. This is no time to wonder about where such help comes from. We must grab it with both hands for the greater good. I only wish I could persuade your master to see it the same way. No, son, we have to go to Greece and take the Pendle witches with us. We have no choice.'
From that day on I did as Mam asked, wearing the blade under my shirt in a sheath positioned at the nape of my neck. How could I refuse her? But I felt that I was moving into a much darker phase of my life than I had ever experienced as an apprentice to John Gregory.
The following day, a couple of hours before sunset, I headed for the south meadow to keep my promise to Alice.
She was bending over a campfire near the hawthorn hedge that enclosed the field, some distance from the others. It seemed that she was keeping herself to herself, away from the other witches. That made me feel better. I didn't want her under their influence.
The rabbits were on a spit, their juices dribbling into the flames.
'You hungry, Tom?'
'Starving, Alice. They smell delicious!'
We ate the rabbits in silence but exchanged smiles. When we'd finished, I thanked Alice and complimented her on the meal. She didn't say anything for a while and I began to feel more and more awkward. In the past we'd always had plenty to say to each other, but we'd exchanged all our news the day before, and now our conversation seemed to have exhausted itself. There was an uncomfortable distance between us.
'Cat got your tongue?' Alice asked finally.
'If so, it's got yours too!' I retorted.
She smiled at me sadly. 'Things just ain't the same any more, are they, Tom?'
I shrugged. What she'd said was perfectly true. How could they ever be the same again?
'A lot's happened, Alice. Everything seems to be changing.'
'Changing?'
'My apprenticeship to Mr Gregory is over, Mam's formed an alliance with some of the Pendle witches, and you, my best friend in the whole world, turn out to be the daughter of my enemy.'
'Don't,' she said. 'Don't say it.'
'Sorry.'
'Look, if we go to Greece and win, then it'll all have been for the best, won't it? I'll have proved to you and Mr Gregory that I'm nothing like my father. And maybe when Old Gregory finally realizes that your mam made the alliance for the good of the County, he'll take you back on and you can continue your studies.'
'I suppose so,' I said. 'But I'm uneasy. Uncomfortable.
There's a lot to take in.'
'It's been bad for both of us, Tom. But we'll come through it, won't we? We always have in the past.'
'Of course we will,' I told her warmly.
We parted on good terms, but it seemed strange to be leaving Alice in the field with the witches. It was as if we belonged to different worlds. I felt like stretching my legs, so I followed the perimeter of the farm round to the north. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, and as I reached the boundary of Hangman's Hill, I saw three figures waiting in the shadows just beyond the fence. I recognized them as I got closer. It was Mab and her sisters, three witches from the Mouldheel clan.