The Spook’s Revenge: Book 13 (Spooks) (22 page)

At last I could see the familiar shape of Brewer’s Farm below me – the locals called it that because it had once been the only source of locally brewed beer. Dad had never bothered with brewing, though, and we had just called it ‘the farm’ or ‘home’.

The farm dogs warned of my arrival, and Jack came out of the barn and strode towards me. He was a big man whose bushy eyebrows often met in a scowl. But today he was smiling.

‘Tom! Tom! What a surprise! It’s good to see you!’ he cried.

He grasped me in a bear-hug, but without his usual trick of trying to crush my ribs. As we broke apart I saw that he didn’t tower over me as he’d done formerly. I would never be as tall as Jack, but in a couple more years I might come close.

‘How’s the family – Ellie and little Mary?’ I asked.

‘Oh, they’re just fine. You won’t recognize Mary. She’s bright as a button and a right little tomboy, full of mischief. She’s always climbing things and getting into trouble.’

‘And James?’

‘He would never admit it, but he was more than a little shaken by his ordeal at the hands of those thugs. He’s back to his usual self, though. His forge makes more than the farm now – he’s very generous and does more than just pay his way. He’s been a good brother to me.’

This was going to make things even harder. If James came with me, I would be depriving my other brother of his help and financial support.

‘So what brings you out this way, Tom?’ Jack continued. ‘No doubt you’re here to sort out a few of the problems we’ve been having locally.’

‘What problems?’ I asked.

‘Nothing’s happened near the farm – apart from the usual,’ Jack said, gesturing towards Hangman’s Hill. ‘But on the far side of Topley village all Hell’s broken loose. It’s been like that for weeks. Ghosts, boggarts, witches – you name it. There’ve been sightings of ghosts just outside the churchyard, and a boggart has taken up residence at Beck Cottage. The owners stayed on less than a week after it took over. Now it’s becoming dangerous – it keeps throwing stones at passers-by. We’ve seen a lot of witches too: small groups have passed through, heading north, stealing and threatening folk as they go.’

No doubt the witches were heading for the Wardstone to join other supporters of the Fiend. But this increased level of activity from the dark made me wonder. Was it because of the coming crisis at Halloween? Were dark powers gathering everywhere?

‘I’ve actually come to ask for James’s help with a big problem we’ve got to the north,’ I said, ‘but I’ll certainly find time to sort that boggart before we leave.’ I reckoned I could spare a hour or two to deal with it before I returned to Chipenden.

‘You said “we” . . . do you intend to take James with you?’

I nodded. ‘That’s if he’ll agree to help.’

‘You’ll be taking him into danger? You expect him to help you fight the dark in some way?’ The smile was gone from Jack’s face, to be replaced by a growing anger. ‘Don’t you think he’s suffered enough recently?’

‘Yes, he’s suffered; we’ve all suffered in one way or another. But the whole County and beyond is facing something much worse. And don’t think that’ll you’ll be safe here, Jack,’ I warned. ‘There’s danger ahead, and it’s got to be faced, even if it takes the lives of both James and me.’

The anger faded from Jack’s face; I saw instead a mixture of fear and sadness as he stared at the ground.

‘Ellie’s having another baby,’ he said at last. ‘After what happened at Pendle, I thought we’d never add to our family. But she’s nervous, Tom, so play down the danger, won’t you?’

Ellie had been pregnant when she and Jack and Mary were captured by the witches. The trauma of their abduction had caused her to lose what would have been her second child.

‘Of course I will, Jack – and congratulations!’

He beamed at me and clapped me on the shoulder before leading me towards the house. The forge lay just beyond the barn, but I couldn’t see James at work there.

‘James is repairing farm machinery on the other side of Topley,’ Jack said, reading my thoughts. ‘He’ll be back before dark – most likely in time for the evening meal. I’d be grateful if you didn’t tell him what’s needed while we’re dining – it will only upset Ellie. She gets tired and we go to bed early most nights, so you’ll get your chance to talk then, out of her earshot. I’ll break it to her gently once we’ve gone to bed. Will you be all right sleeping on the couch downstairs?’

‘Of course I will, but are you sure? Will Ellie be happy with that? I know having a spook’s apprentice around makes you all nervous. I had planned to be away by dusk.’

‘Ellie will be fine, and so will I, Tom. We’ll manage this time. Besides, James will be more ready for bed than a long journey. We’ll survive until morning, don’t you worry.’

I wondered why Jack had changed his mind about me staying in the farmhouse after dark. Was it because of the danger we all faced? Maybe it was because he thought he might never see me or James again and didn’t want to turn me out on what might be our last meeting?

I turned to see that Ellie had come out to greet me. I noticed that her corn-coloured hair was lighter now; the recent years had leached something of the glow from it. There were also faint lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth. But when she smiled, you realized how lucky Jack was to have a wife like her. I had a sudden tightness in my throat at the thought of losing Alice, but with a surge of anger I thrust it away from me.

‘Oh, Tom! It’s so good to see you!’ Ellie gave me a warm hug. ‘Mary! Mary! Tom’s here! Come and see your uncle!’ she shouted.

A little girl came running through the doorway to stare up at me with big round eyes. She bore no resemblance to the dirty, terrified child I’d seen clutching her mother in Malkin Tower two years earlier.

‘Hello, Mary,’ I said with a smile.

‘Hello, Uncle Tom. Have you come to kill the bog?’

‘She means the boggart that’s been throwing stones,’ Ellie explained. ‘She can’t stop talking about it.’

‘Hopefully I won’t have to kill it,’ I told the child. ‘Sometimes you can talk a boggart into moving on.’

‘Can I come and watch? I want to hear it speak.’

‘I’m not allowed to take other people with me when I go to deal with boggarts,’ I told her. ‘Most don’t talk, but if this one does I’ll remember every word and repeat it back to you. Will that do?’

Mary smiled and nodded.

I smiled back, then glanced quickly at my brother and his wife. They were a happy family. I’d almost forgotten how pleasant it was to spend time in their company. Then a wave of sadness washed over me. I might die in the coming battle. I might never see them again.

James came back just in time for supper, just as Jack had predicted, and he shook my hand warmly. He looked strong and fit – his job no doubt kept him that way. He was as tall as Jack, but much more muscular. His nose had been broken at one time and not properly reset, so that it was squashed against his face. But despite this he was still handsome in a roguish way, and smiles came to his face very easily.

I did as Jack asked and didn’t mention the real reason for my visit even when James asked me outright.

‘What brings you home, Tom? Anything special, or are you just passing through?’

I swallowed a mouthful of hotpot to give me time to think. ‘I hear you’ve been having some local problems with the dark,’ I told him. ‘Tomorrow I’m going to try and sort out that boggart the other side of Topley.’

Jack gave me a grateful smile.

‘Tom’s going to talk to it!’ Mary announced.

‘Of course he is, love,’ Ellie told her with a warm smile. ‘Most things in this world can be solved by talking. It just takes a little patience, that’s all – something which most men lack.’

I smiled at Ellie, wishing that were really true. Could we talk the servants of the Fiend out of supporting their master come Halloween? It would be easier to hold back the tide.

WHEN JACK AND
Ellie went upstairs, James rose from the table. ‘Come and look at the forge, Tom,’ he suggested. ‘It’s changed a bit since the last time you saw it.’

It gave me the perfect excuse to talk to him alone. He lit a lantern and led me across the yard, then proudly showed off his new equipment: two big new vices, an anvil, and rows and rows of specialist tools hanging from hooks on the wall.

‘I love this job,’ he told me. ‘There’s a lot of satisfaction to be had in doing a job well and providing a service at a reasonable price. People appreciate that. The other local smith has retired now, and I’ve almost more work than I can handle.’

I nodded. ‘You’ve done well, James. But I didn’t give you the whole story because Jack doesn’t want to upset Ellie. I’m here to ask you a favour. Remember when you led the charge against the witches on Pendle Hill? Well, something similar is afoot and we need your help again.’

I explained what had been going on and how there would be a violent struggle at Halloween between us and the forces of the dark. Jack’s face became grim as he listened; twice he shook his head.

‘It sounds bad, Tom, but I’m not sure that I can help. I did it last time because my family were in danger, but this is different. The crops haven’t been too good these last few years – the yield’s been low – and some of the cattle had to be put down recently because of foot-rot. Things are tough. Jack and Ellie need me to keep the wolf from the door. Can’t you get the military involved?’

I shook my head. ‘Soldiers don’t think much of spooks,’ I told him. ‘I don’t think they’d help, and they certainly wouldn’t be prepared to fight alongside our witch allies. They would probably consider both sides to be their enemies. Early this year a large patrol of soldiers was killed by servants of the Fiend near Todmorden. Soldiers aren’t suited to that sort of battle.’ I had already discussed this idea with the Spook, and we had decided it wouldn’t help to get the military involved. ‘Whether you help us or not is up to you, James.’

‘I’m just not sure, Tom . . .’

‘There is one thing you should consider. Those thugs who kidnapped you – they weren’t just robbers. They were under orders from the dark – no doubt from the Fiend himself; the intention was to hurt you to put pressure on me. I’m sorry, James,’ I added guiltily, ‘but that could happen again. Not just to you, but to Jack, Ellie and little Mary. If we do not prevail at Halloween, nobody will be safe. I promised my master that I’d ask you, and now I have. I must confess that at first I was reluctant to drag you into this; I didn’t want to put you in danger again – but it’s desperate times . . . Anyway, as I said, it’s your decision, James, and I will respect that.’

‘When are you going back?’

‘Tomorrow morning. I’m off to deal with that boggart now – it’s a thing more easily done in the dark.’

Despite the coming battle, routine spook’s business still had to go on. The boggart would eventually kill somebody if I didn’t sort it out. It was my duty to do so.

‘Right, Tom,’ James said with a sigh. ‘Let me think it over. I’ll give you my decision tomorrow.’

The boggart proved uncooperative.

Talking it through didn’t seem to work. You
can
sometimes persuade such a creature to leave the area, but this one was stubborn.

Like most other types of boggart, stone-chuckers spend most of their time invisible – just as well, because they are very ugly, and have six arms. In the first year of my apprenticeship my master was almost killed by one that had taken up residence in a farmhouse near Adlington.

I could have tried to intimidate it by laying lines of salt and iron around the farm. But that doesn’t always work, and anyway I had no time to spare. So although it was risky, I went up against it head to head; it was armed with rocks – while I had salt in my left hand and iron filings in my right.

My aim was good. The two clouds of salt and iron came together perfectly to slay the boggart. All that was left of it was a stinky puddle of slime on the floor. I came away with a lump the size of an egg on my forehead, but I’d got the better of it and was still alive.

I was settled on the couch back at the farm soon after midnight. And, despite a thumping headache, I eventually got to sleep.

I was woken early by Jack setting off to do his chores and Ellie cooking breakfast. I sat down to a big plateful of toast and scrambled eggs. Mary was already at the table, spooning porridge into her mouth.

‘What did the bog say?’ she asked.

‘Not a word.’ I smiled at her. ‘We fought and I won. The bog’s gone.’

‘Uncle Tom won!’ Mary cried to her mother.

‘Of course he did, love. I never doubted that he would. That’s his job and he’s good at it.’

Ellie was smiling, but as James came in, the smile slipped from her face. One glance told us both what his decision was. In one hand he had his big blacksmith’s hammer; in the other was a travelling bag.

‘I’m coming with you, Tom,’ he said, confirming what we’d already guessed.

Within the hour James and I were saying our farewells. Jack shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder. ‘Take care, Tom. Take care. Come back safely, you two.’

Ellie gave James a big hug, and when they broke apart, tears were streaming down her face.