The Spook's Battle Read online

  Chapter 13

  The Sepulchre

  Alice was waiting at the edge of Crow Wood. Lit by the predawn light, she was sitting on a rotten log, my staff at her feet. Facing her, with watchful, distrustful eyes, were Mab's sisters, the twins Beth and Jennet.As I approached, Alice stood up. "You all right, Tom?" she asked anxiously. "Here, let me get that cruel thing off you. ..."She pulled my special key from the pocket of her dress and in moments had unlocked the board, hinged it open, and thrown it to the ground. I stood there rubbing the circulation back into my wrists, relieved to be free of it."Wurmalde killed poor Father Stocks and blamed me," I told her. "They were taking me off to Caster to hang--""Well, they ain't taking you anywhere now. You're free, Tom," Alice said."Thanks to me," Mab interrupted, giving me a sly smile. "It was me, not Alice, who helped you. Just remember that.""Yes--thank you," I said. "I appreciate you setting me free.""Free so we can bargain," said Mab. "So let's get on with it."Alice tutted. "I've told her what's what, Tom," she said, "but she won't give me back my lock of hair. One trunk ain't enough for her either." "Don't trust you, Alice Deane--no farther than I can spit!" Mab said, turning down the corners of her mouth. "Two of you and only one of me, so I'm holding on to that lock o' hair until this is over. Soon as I get what I want, you can have it back. But one trunk won't do. Give me the keys to all three, and it's a bargain. In exchange I'll get you safely to the dungeons under yonder tower. With me to help, we can save the lives of your family. If I don't go with you, they'll die for sure."

  Mab looked really determined, and I sensed that I wasn't going to get Alice's lock of hair back until she had the keys. Which meant that, in the tunnel, Alice would still be in Mab's power and unable to help me overcome her. I'd have to do it myself.My dad had taught me that a bargain was a bargain and that it was wrong to go back on your word. Now I was planning to do just that, and I found it hard. Moreover, even though she'd done it for her own ends, Mab had just rescued me, which meant that I was no longer a prisoner about to be taken to Caster and hanged. I owed her something for that, but now I was about to betray her. I felt guilty on both counts but knew I had no choice. I had to deceive Mab because lives depended on it. I'd no intention of giving her even one of the trunks, but I had to be crafty."You can have two trunks, Mab. Two and no more. That's my best offer."She shook her head firmly.I sighed and stared at my feet, pretending to be thinking deeply about the situation. After almost a full minute I looked her straight in the eye. "My family's lives are in danger, so I've no choice, have I? All right--you can have all three trunks."A grin split Mab's face from ear to ear. "The keys then, and it's a bargain," she said, holding out her hand.It was my turn to shake my head. "If I give you the keys now, what guarantee have I got that you'll guide us to the dungeons? It's no different to you being outnumbered in the tunnel, is it?" I said, gesturing toward the other witches, who were watching and listening to every word. "Once we rescue my family you can have the keys. Not a moment sooner."

  Mab turned her back on me, perhaps so that I couldn't see her eyes or read the expression on her face. I felt certain she would cheat me if she could.At last she turned back to face me. "That's a bargain then," she agreed. "But this is going to be difficult. We'll need all our wits about us to get into that tower alive! We'll have to work together."As we prepared to set off, I picked up my staff.Mab frowned. "You don't need that nasty stick," she said. "Best leave it behind."I knew she didn't like rowan wood and regarded it as a weapon that I could use against her, but I shook my head firmly. "My staff comes with me or the bargain's off!" I told her.Alice and I followed Mab in a slow widdershins curve, a counterclockwise circuit of the tower. Soon we had left Crow Wood behind but still kept the same approximate distance from Malkin Tower, which was always visible to our left against the brightening sky.In the distance, on our right, the vast bulk of Pendle Hill was also visible and suddenly I thought I saw a light flare right on the summit, so I halted and stared toward it. Mab and Alice followed the direction of my gaze. As we watched, the light flickered before burning steadily so that it was visible for miles around."Looks like someone's lit a fire right on top of the hill," I said.There were special hills throughout the County where beacons were sometimes lit, the signal passing from hilltop to hilltop much faster than a messenger on horseback could ride. Some of them even took the name Beacon Fell, like the one to the west of Chipenden.Mab glanced toward me, gave a mysterious smile, then turned away and continued the journey. I shrugged at Alice, and we followed at her heels. The signal must be for somebody, I thought. I wondered if it was something to do with the witch clans.

  After about fifteen minutes Mab pointed ahead. "Yonder's where the entrance is!"We were approaching what my dad would have called a neglected wood. You see, most woods are coppiced every few years or so, which means that some of the saplings are hacked down and taken for firewood. This also helps the wood by creating light and space for the remaining trees to develop so that both humans and trees benefit. But here, among the mature trees of this wood --oak, yew, and ash--was a dense, tangled thicket of saplings. The area hadn't been touched for many a long year, and it made me wonder why.Then, as we reached the edge, I suddenly glimpsed tombstones among the undergrowth and realized that the trees and vegetation concealed an abandoned graveyard.At first glance it looked impenetrable, but a narrow path led into the thicket, and Mab plunged in without a backward glance. That surprised me, because I knew she couldn't set foot on holy ground. It must have been deconsecrated, probably by a bishop, and was no longer a holy place.I followed Mab, with Alice close at my heels, and within moments I glimpsed some sort of ruin to our left, covered with moss and lichen. Only two walls were standing, and the tallest section came no higher than my shoulder."What's that?" I asked."All that's left of the old church," Mab called back over her shoulder. "Most of the graves were dug up and the bones taken elsewhere and reburied. The ones they could find, anyway."Right at the heart of the thicket we reached a clearing, which was scattered with tombstones. Some had fallen flat, others leaned at precarious angles, and there were holes in the ground where the coffins had been dug up and removed. They hadn't bothered to fill in the graves again, and now they were hollows filled with weeds and nettles. And there, among the tombstones, was a small stone building. A young sycamore tree had grown right through the roof, splitting the stones, its branches forming a leafy canopy. The walls were covered with ivy and the building had no windows, just a rotting wooden door."What's that?" I asked. It was far too small to be a chapel."It's a sepulc --" began Alice."He asked me," interrupted Mab. "It's a sepulchre, Tom. A grave house above ground, once built for a family with more money than sense. Six shelves, it has, and each one is still a resting place for dead bones...."

  "The bones are still there?" I asked, not sure which girl to look at. "Why didn't they move them with the rest?""The family didn't want their dead disturbed," Mab said, walking toward the door of the sepulchre. "But they've been disturbed already and will be again."She gripped the handle and slowly eased open the door. It was already dark in the shade of the sycamore, but beyond that door was absolute blackness. I didn't have a candle stub and tinderbox with me, but Mab reached into the left pocket of her gown and pulled out a candle of her own. It was made from black wax, and as I watched, the wick suddenly sprouted a flame."Be able to see what we're doing now," she said, smiling wickedly.Holding the candle aloft, Mab led the way into the sepulchre, the flame illuminating the slabs of stone--the shelves that held the remains of the dead. I saw what Mab meant by saying the dead had been disturbed. Some of the bones had been dislodged from the shelves and were scattered on the floor.Once inside, she stepped back and closed the door behind us, the flame flickering in the draft so that the eye sockets of the nearest skull were animated by shadows, the dead bones seeming to twitch with unnatural life.No sooner was the door closed than I experienced a sudden chill and heard a faint groan from the far corner of the sepulchre. Was it a ghost or a ghast?

  "Nothing to
worry about there," Mab said, walking toward that ominous sound. "It's only Dead Maggie, and she's not going anywhere now." The dead witch was in the corner, leaning back against the damp wall. Rusty metal rings clamped her ankles, each connected by a chain to another ring bolted into the stone flags. The metal was iron, so no wonder she was suffering. Maggie was trapped, all right."Is that a Deane I smell?" she whimpered, her voice quivering with pain."Sorry to see you in such a state, Maggie," Alice said, approaching her. "It's me, Alice Deane --""Oh! Help me, child!" Maggie begged. "My mouth be drier than my bones be sore. I can't abide these shackles. Free me from this torment!""Can't help you, Maggie," Alice replied, stepping even closer. "Wish I could, but there's a Mouldheel here. Has a lock of my hair, she has, so I can't do nothing.""Then come closer, child," Maggie croaked.Obediently Alice bent close, and the dead witch whispered something into her ear.

  "No whispering! No secrets here! Keep clear o' Maggie," Mab warned. Immediately Alice moved away, but I knew her well enough to read a subtle change in her expression: Maggie had whispered something of importance; something that might just help us against Mab."Right!" Mab continued. "Let's get on with it. Follow me. It's a tight squeeze. ..."She knelt down and crawled across the lowest bone shelf to her left, disturbing the skeleton that lay upon it. Within moments all I could see were her bare feet before they disappeared from view like the rest of her. She'd taken the candle, and the inside of the sepulchre was plunged into darkness.So, gripping my staff, I crawled onto the cold stone slab, following her into the narrow space between it and the shelf above, feeling the bones under my body as I dragged myself across. Beyond the shelf, the fingers of my right hand clutched soft earth and, seeing a flicker of light ahead, I pulled myself headfirst into a shallow tunnel where Mab was waiting. She was on all fours; the roof was too low for her to stand. Alice had already told me that the only way my trunks would ever leave Malkin Tower was through the big iron-studded wooden door, the same way they'd gotten inside, and one glimpse at that confined space confirmed this. So what did Mab hope to achieve? Even if she did reach the trunks, it would be impossible to bring them out this way.I faced the same problem, but at least I might be able to rescue my family. And as long as I didn't give away the keys, no witch would be able to open the trunks.

  Once Alice had joined us in the tunnel, Mab wasted no time and crawled away on her hands and knees while we followed as best we could. I'd come across a few tunnels since becoming the Spook's apprentice, but never one so tight and claustrophobic as this. It had no supports at all, and I had to force myself not to think about the great weight of earth above us. If the tunnel collapsed, we'd be trapped down here in the darkness. We might be crushed quickly; we might suffer a slow, terrifying death by suffocation. I lost all track of time. We seemed to be crawling along for an eternity, but at last we emerged into an earthen chamber large enough for us to stand up. For a moment I thought we were directly underneath the tower, but then I saw another tunnel straight ahead. Unlike the one we'd just crawled through, this was big enough to walk upright in and had stout wooden props supporting the roof."Well," Mab said, "this is as far as I've been. Don't smell good, this tunnel."So saying, she leaned in and sniffed loudly three times. I wondered how good she was at it. The Spook had once told me that the ability varied from witch to witch.

  After one quick sniff she turned away and gave a shudder of horror. "Something wet and dead down there," she said. "Don't fancy that tunnel at all!""Don't be soft, girl!" Alice sneered. "Let me sniff the tunnel out, too. Two noses are better than one, ain't that so?""Right--but be quick about it," Mab agreed, eyeing the tunnel nervously.Alice wasted no time. One quick sniff, and she smiled. "Nothing much to worry about down there. Wet and dead we can handle. Tom's got his rowan staff. Should be enough to keep it at bay. So off you go, Mab. You lead the way! That's if you ain't too scared. Thought you Mouldheels were supposed to be made of sterner stuff!" For a moment Mab glared at Alice and curled her lip, but then she led the way into the tunnel. I gripped my rowan staff tightly. Something told me that I -would need it.

  Chapter 14

  THE WIGHT

  If the guardian of the tunnel was wet and dead, then it was probably a be waterwight and there' in the tunnel. I'd read about wights in the Spook's bestiary: they were rare in the County but very dangerous. They were created by witches, who bound the soul of a drowned sailor to his dead body by dark magic. The body didn't decay. Instead it became bloated and tremendously strong. They were usually blind, their eyes eaten by fishes, but had acute hearing and could locate a victim on dry land while still submerged.As I was about to follow Mab, Alice gestured with her hand, signaling that I should stay back and allow her to go first. I could tell that she was planning something, but I didn't know what. So I let her go ahead and just hoped she knew what she was doing.We seemed to be walking for ages, but at last we began to slow before coming to a halt.

  "Don't like this," Mab called back. "There's water ahead. Smells bad. Don't look safe at all ..."I squeezed forward next to Alice so that we could see over Mab's shoulder. I'd expected to see running water --maybe a stream or underground river that she couldn't cross. Instead the tunnel widened out to form an oval cave, which contained a small lake. The water almost reached the sides of the cave, but to the left was a narrow muddy path, sloping down toward the water. It looked very slippery. The lake worried me. It was murky, the color of mud, and there were ripples on the surface; something that you'd expect on water agitated by wind. But we were underground, and the air was still and calm. I also had a feeling that the lake was very deep. Was something nasty lurking under the surface? I remembered what Mab had sniffed out--"something wet and dead." Was it a wight, as I suspected?"Ain't got all night, Mab," Alice called out cheerfully. "Don't like the look of it much myself, so the sooner we're past it the better!"Looking more than a little nervous, Mab transferred the black candle to her right hand and stepped out onto the muddy path. She'd only taken a couple of steps when her bare feet began to slide.

  She almost lost her balance and had to put out her left hand to steady herself against the wall. The candle flickered and almost went out."Easy does it, girl!" Alice said, the mockery strong in her voice. "Ain't a good idea to fall in there. Need a good pair of shoes, you do. Wouldn't like the feel o' that slimy mud between my toes. Make your feet stink worse than ever!Mab turned back toward us, and her lip curled in anger once again. She was just about to give Alice a good earful when something happened that made my heart lurch right up into my mouth.Faster than I could blink, a big hand, pale, bloated and bloodless, came straight up out of the water and grasped Mab's right ankle. Immediately she lost her footing and, squealing like a piglet, fell sideways onto the mud, the lower half of her body splashing down into the water. She began to scream in terror, and as I watched, she started to slide farther down into the lake. Alice was between us or I'd have held out my staff for Mab to grasp. To allow the wight to take her was too horrible.Mab -was still holding on to the candle, but she was flailing her arms about and it looked sure to be plunged into the water at any second. If it went out, -we'd be in the dark, unable to see where the threat was coming from.

  As if she'd read my thoughts, lithe as a cat, Alice leaped forward and snatched the candle from Mab's hand, then stood back and watched her slowly being dragged under."Save her, Alice!" I cried out. "Nobody deserves to die like that!"Alice looked reluctant, but then, with a shrug, she leaned forward, grasped Mab by the hair, and started to pull her back.At that, Mab screamed even louder--it now became a painful tug of war. Something beneath the surface was trying to drag her under; Alice was resisting and trying to pull her back. Mab must have felt like she was being torn in half."Jab it with your stick, Tom!" Alice shouted. "Give it a good poke and make it let go!"I stepped onto the muddy path next to her and aimed the point of my staff toward the water, looking for a target. The water was churning with mud now, big waves lapping at the edge of the path, and I couldn't see a thing. All I could do wa
s aim at a point somewhere just below where Mab's feet should be. I jabbed hard two or three times. It made no difference, and I was aware that Alice was losing the battle: The water was almost up to Mab's armpits.I tried again. Still no luck.

  Then, on my eighth or maybe ninth attempt, I made contact with something. The water heaved, and suddenly Mab was free and Alice was dragging her back up onto the path."Right, Tom, we ain't finished yet. Here, take the candle. Stand by with your staff in case it comes again!"I accepted the candle and held it as high as I could so that it illuminated the whole surface of the murky lake. In my left hand was my rowan staff, ready to jab at the wight.Alice suddenly got Mab in an armlock and, with her left hand still knotted in her hair, forced her into a kneeling position and pushed her head down until it was almost touching the water."Give me what's mine!" she shouted into Mab's left ear. "Do it quick, or that thing down there will rip your nose off!" For a moment Mab struggled, but then the water began to heave as if something big were swimming to the surface."Take it! Take it!" she cried out, fear and panic in her voice. "It's round my neck!"Alice released Mab from the armlock and, still gripping her by the hair, used her free hand to tug something out from inside the neckband of her dress. It was a piece of string. Alice bit through it with her teeth, pulled it from Mab's neck, and held it out toward me."Burn it!" she shouted.As I held the candle under it, I saw that the string was knotted about a twist of hair; the lock of hair from Alice's head that placed her in Mab's power. The candle flame ignited the string, and it flared up with a whoosh. There was a faint smell of burning hair, and then Alice allowed the charred remains to fall into the water.That done, she tugged Mab to her feet, gripped her arm, and pushed her along the path toward the far side of the lake. I folio wed cautiously, trying not to slip, eyeing the water fearfully.