The Spook's Battle Read online

  "A day and a night," I told Mistress Wurmalde. "I need that time. My answer is the same --""Then take it!" she snapped. "And as you deliberate, think how your family are suffering. But you may not leave this house. I cannot allow it. Return to your room. Here you will remain until you surrender the keys.""If I don't go to Malkin Tower, Master Nowell will -wonder what's happened. ..."She smiled grimly. "I'll send word that both you and Father Stocks are indisposed with a fever. Master Nowell will be too busy tomorrow to concern himself with your absence. You'll be the very least of his worries. No, you must stay here. To attempt to leave without my permission would be very dangerous. This house is guarded by something you certainly wouldn't "wish to meet. You wouldn't get out alive."At that moment there came a sound from somewhere far off. The deep chimes of a clock reverberated throughthe house. It was midnight. The clock was striking twelve."Before this time tomorrow night, you must decide," Wurmalde warned. "Decide wrongly or fail to give an answer, and your family will die. The choice is yours."

  Chapter 10

  TIBB

  I returned to my room and closed the door behind me. I was desperate to escape but afraid to try. All my courage seemed to have fled. Somewhere abroad within the house was Tibb, alert to my every move. I had nothing to defend myself with and suspected that I wouldn't reach an outer door before he fell upon me.At first, without even a thought of sleeping, my worries and fears swirling endlessly inside my head, I pulled a chair to the window and peered out into the night.

  There, bathed in moonlight, the grounds and countryside beyond looked at peace. Occasionally, in addition to the distant snoring of Father Stocks, I could hear faint scratching sounds from out on the landing. It could have been mice. But it could also have been Tibb on the prowl. It made me feel very nervous and uneasy.I opened the window and looked down at the wall below. It was covered in ivy. Could I escape through the window? Would the ivy bear my weight? I reached down below the sill and clutched the plant, but when I tugged it, leaves and branches came away in my hand. No doubt it was cut back from the windows at least once a year --this would be new growth. Perhaps a little farther down the stems would be thicker and 'woodier, the ivy's grip upon the stone wall firmer?But it was filled with risk. Wurmalde wouldn't be able to sniff out my bid for freedom; the instant I began mydescent, however, Tibb might. I'd have to climb very carefully, and that would take time. The creature would be waiting for me before I reached the ground. If I fell, it would be worse. . . . No, it was too risky. I let the thought seep away as images flooded in to replace it. The cruel pictures Wurmalde had placed in my mind became vivid and almost impossible to dismiss: Jack in torment; Mary screaming in fear, terrified of the dark; poor Ellie, mourning the unborn child she'd lost. The witch assassin, Grimalkin, let loose to inflict further pain. The snip, snip of her scissors ...But as the night slowly passed, my anxieties gave way to tiredness.

  My limbs grew heavy, and I felt the need to lie down on the bed. Like Father Stocks, I didn't bother to get undressed but simply lay on my back on top of the sheets. At first I didn't want to fall asleep, but soon my lids grew heavy and my eyes began to close, all my fears and concerns slowly ebbing away.I reminded myself that Wurmalde had given me a full day and a night to reach a decision. As long as I stayed inthe house, nothing would harm me. In the morning I'd be fresh and alert, able to find a way to solve all my problems. All I had to do was relax. . . .How long I slept I don't know, but some time later I was awakened suddenly by the sound of someone shouting."No! No! Leave me! Let me be! Get off me!"I heard it as if in a dream. For a few moments I didn't know where I was and stared up at the ceiling in bewilderment. It was very dark in the room--there was no longer any moonlight to see by. Only slowly did I recognize the voice as that of Father Stocks."Oh, God! Oh, God, deliver me!" he cried again, his voice filled with utter terror.What was the matter with him? What was happening? And then I realized that someone was hurting the priest. Was it the witch or Tibb? I had no weapons and didn't know what I could do, but I had to try to help him. Yet when I tried to sit up, I lacked the strength. My body felt heavy; my limbs didn't respond. What was wrong with me? I felt weak and ill.I hadn't touched the mutton, so it couldn't be poison. Was it some sort of spell? I'd been close to Wurmalde. Too close. No doubt she'd used some sort of dark magic against me.

  Then I heard Father Stocks begin to pray: "Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. ..."At first the priest's voice was clearly audible and punctuated by groans and cries of pain, but gradually it became a faint murmur before fading away altogether.There was a minute or so of silence, but then I heard scratching sounds outside my bedroom door. Again I tried to sit up. It was useless, but by making a great effort I found that I could move my head a little, and I turned it slightly to the right, so that I could look toward the door.My eyes were quickly adjusting to the darkness, and I could see enough to tell me that the door was very slightly ajar, hardly more than a crack. But as I watched, in fear and dismay, it slowly began to gape wider, making my heart hammer in my chest. Wider and wider ityawned, the hinges creaking as it slowly opened to its full extent. I gazed toward the deeper darkness beyond it, terrified but expectant. At any moment I would see Tibb enter the room.I could see nothing at all, but I could hear him--claws scratching and scrabbling, biting into wood. Then I realized that the sound was above, not below me. I looked upward just in time to see a dark shape moving across the ceiling like a spider, to halt directly above my bed. Unable to move anything but my head, I started to take deep breaths, trying to slow my heartbeat.

  To be afraid made the dark stronger. I had to get my fear under control.I could see the outline of the four limbs and the body, but the head seemed far closer. I've always been able to see well in the dark, and my eyes were continuing to adjust until I could finally make some sense of what threatened from above.Tibb had crawled across the wooden panels of the ceiling so that his hairy back and limbs were facing a-way from me. But his head was hanging down backwardtoward the bed, supported by a long, muscular neck, so that his eyes were below his mouth; and those eyes were glowing slightly in the dark and staring directly toward my own; the mouth was wide open, revealing the sharp needlelike teeth within.Something dripped onto my forehead then. Something slightly sticky and warm. It seemed to fall from the creature's open mouth. Twice more drops fell --one onto the pillow beside my head, the next onto my shirtfront. Then Tibb spoke, his voice rasping harshly in the darkness."I see your future clearly. Your life will be sad. Your master willbe dead and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."I didn't reply, but a calm was settling upon me, my fear receding fast."I see a girl, soon to be a woman, "Tibb continued. "The girl who will share your life. She will love you, she will betray you, and finally she will die for you. And it will all have been for nothing.All for nothing in the end. Your mother wad cruel. What motherwould bring a child into the world for such a hopeless future?What mother would ask you to do what cannot be done? She sings a goat song and places you at its center. Remember my wordswhen you look into the mouth of death."

  "Don't speak about Mam like that!" I demanded angrily. "You know nothing about her!" But I was baffled by his reference to a goat song. What was that?Tibb's response was a snort of laughter, and another bead of moisture fell from his mouth to soil my shirt front."I know nothing? How wrong you are. I know more than you. Much, much more than you. More now than you will everknow ...""Then you'll know what's in the trunks," I said softly.Tibb gave a low growl of anger."You can't see that, can you?" I taunted. "You can't see everything.""You will give us the keys soon, then we will see. Then we willknow!""I'll tell you now," I said. "There's no need to wait for the keys --""Tell me! Tell me!" Tibb demanded.

  Suddenly I wasn't afraid of him anymore. I'd no idea at all what I was going to say, but when I spoke, the words came out of my mouth as if uttered by somebody else."In the trunks is your death," I said quietly. "In the trunks is the destruction of the Pendle covens."Tibb
gave a great roar of anger and bafflement, and for a moment I thought he was about to hurl himself down onto me. But instead I heard the sound of claws cutting into the wooden ceiling panels, and a dark shape moved above me toward the door. Moments later I was alone.I wanted to get up and go into the next room to see if I could help Father Stocks, but I lacked the strength to do so. I struggled for long hours through the darkness, but was too weak and exhausted to clamber from the bed, and I lay there in thrall to Wurmalde's power.Only when the first dawn light illuminated the window did the enchantment fall from my limbs. I managed to sit up and looked down at the pillow. There was a bloodstainon it, two more on the front of my shirt. The blood had dripped from Tibb's open mouth.

  He must have been feeding. . . .Remembering the groans, cries, and prayers from the next bedroom, I rushed out into the corridor. The priest's bedroom door was ajar. I opened it farther and stepped inside cautiously. The heavy curtains were still closed, the candle had long since burned out, and the room was in near darkness. I could see the shape of Father Stocks lying on the bed, but I couldn't hear him breathing."Father Stocks," I called, and received a faint answering groan."Is that you, Tom?" he said weakly. "Are you all right?""Yes, Father. What about you?""Open the curtains and let in some light. ..."So I 'went to the window and drew back the curtains as he'd asked. The weather had certainly changed for the worse, and the sky was heaped with dark clouds. When I turned back to face Father Stocks, I recoiled in horror. The pillow and top sheet were soaked in blood. I went tothe side of the bed and looked down at him, full of pity for his plight.

  "Help me, Tom. Help me sit up. ..."He gripped my right arm, and I pulled him forward into a sitting position. He groaned in pain. There were beads of sweat on his brow, and he looked very pale. With my left hand I lifted the pillows and positioned them behind his back to offer support."Thank you, Tom. Thank you. You're a good lad," he said, trying to smile. There was a tremor in his voice, and his breathing was fast and shallow. "Did you see that foul thing? Did it visit you in the night?" he asked.I nodded. "It came into my room but never touched me. It just talked, that's all.""God be praised for that," said the priest. "It talked to me, too, and what a tale it told. You were right about Mistress Wurmalde--I've underestimated her. She cares little for her position in this house now. She's the power behind the Pendle clans, the one who's trying to unite them. Within a few days this whole district will belong tothe Devil himself. Her days of pretending are over, it seems. She's already managed to unite the Malkins and the Deanes and believes she can persuade the Mouldheels to join them. Then, at Lammas, the three covens will combine to summon the Fiend and bring a new age of darkness to this world."When that foul creature finished talking, it dropped down from the ceiling onto my chest.

  I tried to throw it off, but it fed ravenously and within moments I became as weak as a kitten. I prayed. Prayed harder than I've ever done before. I'd like to think that God answered, but in truth I think it only left me when it had drunk its fill." "You need a doctor, Father. We need to get you help --" "No, Tom. No. It's not a doctor I need. Left alone to rest, my strength would return, but I won't get the chance. Once it's dark, that beast will return to feed from me again, and this time I fear I shall die. Oh, Tom!" he said, clutching at my arm, his eyes wide with fear, his whole body trembling. "I'm afraid to die like this, alone in the darkness. I felt as if I was at the bottom of a greatpit, with Satan himself pressing me down and stifling my cries so that even God couldn't hear my prayers. I'm too weak to move, but you've got to get away, Tom. I need John Gregory now. Bring John here. He'll know what to do. He's the only one who can help me now. ...""Don't worry, Father," I told him. "Try to rest. You'll be safe during the daylight hours. I'll get away just as soon as I can, and I'll be back with my master long before dark."

  I returned to my room, wondering about Tibb and the threat he posed to me now. My studies had taught me certain things. Tibb was a creature of the dark, so he might have to hide away during the daylight hours. Even if he could stand daylight, he might not be as dangerous. I'd decided to risk climbing down the ivy, but not until the cart had passed the end of the carriageway. I didn't want to be seen by Cobden, the driver; even the two bailiffs might be in the pay of Wurmalde.After about twenty minutes I heard the sound of horses' hooves from behind the house and saw Cobden drivinghis cart down to the gates. They didn't open by themselves on this occasion, and he had to climb down and unfasten them. Outside he was soon joined by Constable Barnes, who was folio-wed by the two bailiffs on foot. After the men jumped up into the cart, the party set off for Malkin Tower -without so much as a glance toward the house. No doubt Cobden had already been briefed on what to tell the constable and No-well. As far as they were concerned, both Father Stocks and I were ill.As I watched them ride away into the distance, I began to wonder about the wisdom of going back to Downham.

  The Spook and Alice would have expected us to return with news. By now, after a whole day and night without -word of -what was happening, perhaps they'd set off to investigate and might be on their way already. It really -wasn't such a bad thing, because both the Spook and Alice knew Pendle district -well and would take the direct route to Read Hall, passing to the west of the hill, the way I'd come with Father Stocks. More than likely, I -would meet them on the way.I eased up the sash window and climbed out feet first, turning so that I was facing back toward the wall. I gripped the window ledge firmly and lowered myself to the full extent of my arms, then transferred my left hand to the ivy, pushing my fingers deep into it, reassured by the feel of thick, woody stems. The ivy held my weight, but I made a nervous descent, fearful of what could be waiting for me at the bottom. I took more than a few risks in my eagerness to get to the ground as quickly as possible, but moments later I was standing on the pebbles and immediately set off running down to the gates. I glanced back once or twice and was relieved to see that there were no signs of pursuit. Once beyond the grounds of Read Hall, I headed north across the laund, running hard toward Downham.As the crow flies, the distance between Read Hall and Downham is probably no more than five or six miles, but the difficult hilly terrain meant it was actually quite a bit farther. I had to get there and back by nightfall, andneeded to run at least part of the way. It seemed sensible to complete the first journey as quickly as possible, thus making it easier to return at a more leisurely pace, because by then I'd be tired.After the first two miles or so I slowed down to a fast walking pace. I was making good time, and just after what I judged to be the halfway point, I allowed myself a five-minute rest and quenched my thirst with the cool water from a stream. But when I set off walking again, it seemed much harder to make progress.

  Fasting is a good idea when facing the dark, but it doesn't help when real exertion is required, and I hadn't eaten since the previous morning's breakfast of cold mutton. I felt weak and started to make heavy weather of it. Even so, I thought of poor Father Stocks and gritted my teeth, forcing myself to run another mile before settling down once more to a brisk walking pace. I was grateful for the cloud cover, "which kept the heat of the sun from my head.I kept hoping that I would meet the Spook and Alice, but saw no sign of them at all. When I reached the out-skirts of Downham, despite all my attempts at speed, it was already midafternoon, and I wasn't relishing the prospect of the return journey.But when I arrived in Downham, to my dismay, the Spook wasn't there.

  Chapter 11

  Thief And Murderer

  Alice came out to meet me at the church gate. As I approached, I saw her welcoming smile start to fade. She'd read the expression on my face and knew there was trouble."You all right, Tom?""Is Mr. Gregory here?" I asked."No. Your brother James arrivedlast night, and they went off together first thing this morning.""What for? Did they say when they'd be back?""Old Gregory never tells me much, does he? Talked to James but mostly made sure I was well out of earshot. Still doesn't trust me and perhaps he never will. As for when he'll be back, he didn't say. But I'm sure he'll be back before nightfall. He just sa
id that you were to wait here until he returned.""I can't do that. Father Stocks is in danger," I told her. "Soon after nightfall, if help doesn't reach him, he'll be dead. I came to fetch the Spook, but now I'll have to go back alone and see what I can do.""Not alone, Tom," Alice said. "Where you go, I go. Tell me all about it. ..."I kept my story brief, giving her the bare bones of the situation as we walked quickly past the church and between the gravestones toward the cottage. Alice didn't say much, but she looked horrified when I told her about Tibb drinking Father Stocks's blood.

  At my mention ofWurmalde, a look of puzzlement flickered across her face.When I'd finished, she gave a sigh. "Just gets worse and worse, it does. I've something to tell you as well --"At that moment we reached the house. "Save it for the journey," I told her. "We'll talk as we walk."Wasting no time, I collected my rowan staff. My bag would have been an encumbrance, so I left it behind, but I put a handful of salt in my right breeches pocket and iron filings in my left. In addition I tied my silver chain around my waist under my shirt. Once again, I left off my cloak: It was dangerous in Pendle to signal that you were a spook's apprentice.Next I wrote a short note for the Spook to tell him what had happened.Dear Mr. Gregory, rather Stocks is in great danger at .Read Hall. Please follow me there just as quickly as you can. Bring James as well. We a11 need all the help we can get.Tibb has drunk father Stocks's blood and left him weak and close to death. The creature will feed again after dark, and if I don't get back and help. he will certainly die. Beware Mistress Wurmalde, the housekeeper. She's a witch who is trying to unite all three covens. She comes from Greece and is an old enemy of Mam's.Your apprentice, Tom PS. Some of Magistrate Nowell's servants seem to be working for Wurmalde. Trust nobody.That done, I drank a cupful of water and had a nibble of cheese. I took more cheese with me for the journey, and within twenty minutes of arriving at Downham I was on the road again. But this time I wasn't alone.At first we walked in silence, at a very fast pace, Alice just in the lead; she recognized the urgency of getting back to Read Hall before dark. After we'd covered about a third of the distance, I began to feel very tired butforced myself to keep going by imagining Tibb on the ceiling, about to drop down onto Father Stockss chest. It was too horrible to think about --I had to get him away from Read Hall before that happened.Nevertheless, almost without being aware of it, we did begin to slow. It was Alice. She was walking slightly behind me now, breathing heavily, and seemed to be having difficulty keeping up. I turned to see what was the matter and noticed that she looked pale and weary."What's wrong, Alice?" I asked her, coming to a halt. "You don't look well--"Alice fell to her knees and suddenly cried out in pain, then clutched at her throat and started to choke."Can't breathe properly," she gasped. "Feels like someone's squeezing my windpipe!"