The Spook's Sacrifice (23 page)

Authors: Joseph Delaney

BOOK: The Spook's Sacrifice

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She started to speak to me, her voice full of warmth,
love and understanding.

'I always knew that you would be compromised by
the dark, son. I knew that you would bargain with the
Fiend because it was in you to do so from the very
beginning. And you did it not just to help those you
love, but for the whole of the County – for the whole
world. Don't blame yourself. It's just part of the
burden of being who you are.

'Above all, remember this,' she continued. 'The
Fiend has damaged you but you have also damaged
him and hurt the dark badly. Believe, son. Have faith
in who you are.
Believe
that you will recover and it will
truly happen. And don't judge yourself too harshly.
Some things are meant to be, and you had to fall so that
later you may rise and become what you are truly
meant to be.'

I wanted to walk across and embrace her, but
no sooner had I come to my feet than the dream
faded and I opened my eyes. I was back in the cabin.

Was it a dream or something more? It was three days
later, as we were sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar,
that I had my second encounter with Mam. The wind
had dropped away to almost nothing and we were
virtually becalmed. That night I fell asleep as soon as
my head hit the pillow.

It happened just as I was waking up. I heard something
directly in front of me, very close to the bed. A
strange noise. Something sharp in the air. A sort of
crackling, tearing sound. And for a moment I was
scared. Terrified.

It wasn't the feeling of cold I often experienced
when something from the dark approached. This was
something powerful and shocking. It was as if, close to
my side, there was something that had no right to be
there. As if something had suddenly torn aside all the
rules of the waking world. But just as some cosy
dreams can suddenly turn into nightmares, this was
the reverse. My terror was gone in an instant as
something warm touched me.

It didn't touch my skin. It wasn't a warm hand. It
was a sensation that passed right through me:
upwards into my bones, flesh and nerves. It was
warmth and love. Pure love. That's the only way I can
describe it. There were no words. No message. But I no
longer had any doubt.

It was Mam. She was safe and she'd come to say
goodbye. I felt sure of it and, with that certainty, my
pain lessened.

CHAPTER
24
I
T CAN'T BE TRU
E

Once again we endured a storm in the Bay of
Biscay that threatened the ship but, despite a
broken mast and tattered sails, we came through it and
sailed on towards the cliffs of our homeland, the air
growing colder by the hour.

We reached Sunderland Point and set off for Jack's
farm: it was my duty to break the news of Mam's death
to the family.

Grimalkin, Mab and the other surviving witches
hurried off towards Pendle. With the dogs at our heels,
we went towards the farm.

We walked on in silence, each of us deep in our own
thoughts. As we approached the farm, I suddenly
realized that Alice would be expected to keep away for
fear of offending Jack and Ellie. Yet she needed to be by
my side to gain the protection of the blood jar. If we
were separated, the Fiend might attack her in revenge
for what she'd done.

'Better if Alice comes with us to the farm,' I
suggested, thinking quickly. 'Jack's bound to take
things badly so Alice could give him some herbs to
help him sleep.'

The Spook looked at me doubtfully, probably
realizing that Jack wouldn't accept Alice's help anyway,
but I turned on my heel and hurried on towards
the farm with Alice at my side, leaving him with poor
Bill Arkwright's three dogs.

Within minutes the farm dogs began to bark and
Jack came running across the south pasture towards
us. He halted about three feet away. He wouldn't
necessarily have expected Mam to leave her homeland
again and return to the County, so her absence
wouldn't have concerned him, but he must have
feared the worst from the sad expression on my face.

'What is it? What happened?' he demanded. 'Did
you win?'

'Yes, Jack, we won,' I told him. 'We won, but at a
terrible price. Mam's dead, Jack. There's no easy way
to say it. She's dead.'

Jack's eyes widened, not with grief but disbelief.
'That's not right, Tom! It can't be true!'

'I know it's hard to take but it's the truth, Jack. Mam
died as she destroyed her enemy. She sacrificed herself
and made the world a better place – not just her
homeland.'

'No! No!' Jack cried as his face began to crumple. I
tried to put my arms around him to give him some
comfort, but he pushed me away and kept saying, 'No!
No!' over and over again.

James took the news more calmly. 'I sensed that was
going to happen,' he told me quietly. 'I've been expecting
it.'

When he gave me a hug, I felt his body trembling
but he was trying to be brave.

Later, Jack took to his bed while the rest of us sat
around the kitchen table in silence – but for Ellie, who
was weeping softly. To be honest, I couldn't wait to get
away from the farm. Things felt really bad and it had
re-opened the wound of my own grief at losing Mam.

Ellie had made us some chicken soup and I forced
myself to dunk rolls of bread into it to build up my
strength for the journey. We stayed only a couple of
hours, but just before we left, I went up to take my
leave of Jack. I knocked lightly on the bedroom door.
There was no reply, and after trying twice more, I
gradually eased it open. Jack was sitting up, his back
against the headboard, his face a mask of grief.

'I've come to say goodbye, Jack,' I told him. 'I'll be
back to see you in a month or so. James is here to help
with the farm so things should be all right.'

'All right?' he asked bitterly. 'How can things ever
be all right again?'

'I'm sorry, Jack. I'm upset as well. The difference is
that I've had weeks to get used to it. It still hurts but
the pain's faded a little. It'll be the same for you too.

Just give it time.'

'Time? There'll never be enough time . . .'

I just hung my head. I couldn't think of anything I
could say that would make him feel better.

'Bye, Jack,' I said. 'I'll be back soon, I promise.'

Jack just shook his head, but he hadn't finished
speaking yet. As I turned to leave, he let out a great
choking sob and then spoke slowly, his voice full of
hurt and bitterness.

'Things have never been the same since you started
working as a spook's apprentice,' he said. 'And it
started to go really wrong the first time you brought
that girl, Alice, to the farm. It sickens me to see her here
again today. We were happy before. Really happy.
You've brought us nothing but misery!'

I went out and closed the door behind me. Jack
seemed to be somehow blaming me for everything. It
wasn't the first time, but there was nothing worth
saying in my defence. Why waste words when he
wouldn't listen anyway? Of course, everything had
just been part of Mam's scheme from the beginning,
but Jack was never going to understand that. I just had
to hope that he would eventually see reason. It wasn't
going to be easy and it would take a long time.

Ellie gave us some bread and cheese for the road and
we took our leave of her and James. She didn't hug me.
She seemed a little cold and aloof but she did manage
to give Alice a sad smile.

The Spook was waiting with the dogs in the wood
on Hangman's Hill. He had cut me a new staff while
we were away.

'Here, lad, this'll have to do for now,' he said, holding
it out towards me. 'We'll have to wait till we get back to
Chipenden to get you one with a silver alloy blade, but
at least it's rowan wood and I've sharpened it to a point.'
The staff had a good balance to it and I thanked him.

Then we headed north again. After about an hour I left
the Spook's side and fell back so that I could talk to
Alice.

'Jack seems to blame me for everything,' I told her.
'But I can't deny one thing. The moment I became the
Spook's apprentice marked the beginning of the end of
my family.'

Alice squeezed my hand. 'Your mam had a plan and
she carried it through, Tom. You should be proud of
her. Jack will understand in time. Besides, you're still
with the Spook, still his apprentice. Soon we'll be back
in Chipenden, living in his house, and I'll be copying
his books again. It's not a bad life, Tom, and we still got
each other. Ain't that true?'

'It is true, Alice,' I said sadly. 'We've still got each
other.

Alice squeezed my hand again and we walked on
towards Chipenden with lighter hearts.

Once again, I've written most of this from memory, just
using my notebook when necessary. We're back at
Chipenden and into our old routine. I'm continuing to
learn my trade while Alice is busy copying books from
the Spook's library. The war is going badly, with
enemy soldiers pressing north towards the County,
looting and burning everything in their path. It's
making the Spook very nervous. He's worried about
the safety of his books.

Arkwright's dogs, Claw, Blood and Bone, are being
looked after temporarily by a retired shepherd who
lives near the Long Ridge. We still need to sort out a
permanent home for them but I visit them occasionally
and they're really glad to see me.

I keep the blood jar in my pocket, my only defence
against a visit from the Fiend. It's a secret I share only
with Alice, who needs it as much as I do and never
ventures far from my side. If the Spook knew, he'd
dash it against a rock and it would be the end of us. But
I know there'll be a reckoning one day. On the day
that I die, the Fiend will be waiting for me. Waiting to
claim my soul. That's the price I paid for the victory at
Meteora. I have only one hope and that is to destroy
him first. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but
Mam had faith in me so I try to believe that it's
possible. Somehow I must find a way.

Thomas J. Ward