Read The Spook's Battle Online

Authors: Joseph Delaney

Tags: #Family Secrets, #Horror, #Family Life, #Fantasy & Magic, #Fiction, #Witches, #Ward, #Thomas (Fictitious Character), #Horror Stories, #Juvenile Fiction, #Horror Tales

The Spook's Battle

Table Of Contents

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ISBN 9781407048260
Version 1.0
THE SPOOK'S BATTLE
A RED FOX BOOK 978 0 099 49516 1
First published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head, an imprint of Random House Children's Books
A Random House Group Company
The Bodley Head edition published 2007
Red Fox edition published 2008
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © Joseph Delaney, 2007
Illustrations copyright © David Wyatt, 2007
The right of Joseph Delaney to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This electronic book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
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Red Fox Books are published by Random House Children's Books,
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Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at:
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Printed in the UK by CPI Bookmarque, Croydon, CRo4TD
Praise for 
The Wardstone Chronicles
:
'...ideal for the reader who has outgrown Harry Potter.
Be wamed, these books are seriously scary... Beautifully 
produced and consistently surprising the weird and wonderful 
Wardstone Chronicles
 are an annual treat‘
THE TIMES
Teenage readers looking instead for total fantasy should
hasten to Joseph Delaney's 
The Spook's Apprentice’
INDEPENDENT
‘Super scary! Rated four bookworms out of five!‘ 
KRAZE 
CLUB
‘Wicked and fast—paced'
The Good Book Guide
‘A sequel that will be greeted eagerly by fans of 
The 
Spook's Apprentice’
  TES
'
The Wardstone Chronicles
 remain one of the strongest ongoing 
series of the moment‘ 
WRITE AWAY!
Thrilling tale‘ 
CAROUSEL
‘A great read for all fantasy fans‘ 
TBK
MAGAZINE
Also by Joseph Delaney
THE WARDSTONE CHRONICLES
BOOK ONE: THE SPOOK'S APPRENTICE
BOOK TWO: THE SPOOK'S CURSE
BOOK THREE: THE SPOOK'S SECRET
BOOK FOUR: THE SPOOK'S BATTLE
BOOK FIVE: THE SPOOK'S MISTAKE
For Marie

THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE COUNTY

IS MARKED BY MYSTERY.

IT IS SAID THAT A MAN DIED THERE IN A

GREAT STORM. WHILE BINDING AN EVIL

THAT THREATENED THE WHOLE WORLD.

THEN THE ICE CAME AGAIN, AND WHEN IT

RETREATED. EVEN THE SHAPES OF THE

HILLS AND THE NAMES OF THE TOWNS

IN THE VALLEYS WERE CHANGED.

NOW. AT THAT HIGHEST POINT ON

THE FELLS. NO TRACE REMAINS OF WHAT

WAS DONE SO LONG AGO.

BUT ITS NAME HAS ENDURED.

THEY CALL IT –

THE WARDSTONE.

The Spook's Battle
Joseph Delaney
Illustrated by David Wyatt
Chapter
 1

T
he witch was chasing me I through the dark wood, getting nearer and nearer by the second.I ran fast, frantic to escape, weaving desperately, with branches whipping into my face and brambles ; clutching at my weary legs. The breath rasped harshly in my throat as I drove myself harder and harder toward the edge of the wood. Beyond that lay the slope leading up to the Spook's western garden. If only I could reach that refuge, I'd be safe!I wasn't defenseless. In my right hand I gripped my rowan staff, which was particularly effective against witches; in my left was my silver chain, coiled about my wrist, ready for throwing. But would I get even half a chance to use either? For the chain I needed a gap between us, but already the witch was close at my heels.

 Suddenly the footsteps behind me ceased. Had she given up? I ran on, the waning moon now visible through the leaf canopy above, silver-dappling the ground at my feet. The trees were thinning. I'd almost reached the edge of the wood.Then, just as I passed the last tree, she appeared from nowhere and ran at me from the left, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight, her arms outstretched as if ready to claw out my eyes. Still running, veering away, I flicked my left wrist and cracked the chain to send it hurtling toward her. For a moment I thought I had her, but she swerved suddenly and the chain fell harmlessly onto the grass. The next moment she thudded into me, knocking the staff from my hand.I hit the ground so hard that all the breath was driven from my body, and in an instant she was on me, her weight bearing down on me. I struggled for a moment, but I was -winded and exhausted and she was very strong. She sat on my chest and pinned my arms down on either side of my head. Then she leaned forward so that our faces were almost touching, and her hair was like a black shroud touching my cheeks and blotting out the stars. Her breath was on my face, but it -wasn't rank like that of a blood or bone witch. It was sweet like spring flowers."Got you now, Tom, I have!" Alice exclaimed triumphantly.

 "Ain't good enough, that. You'll need to do better in Pendle!"With that, she gave a laugh and rolled off me, and I sat up, still fighting for breath. After a few moments I found the strength to -walk across and collect my staff and silver chain. Although she was the niece of a witch, Alice was my friend and had saved me more than once during the past year. Tonight I'd been practicing my survival skills, Alice playing the part of a witch seeking my life. I should have been grateful, but I felt annoyed. It was the third night in a row that she'd gotten the better of me.As I started to walk up the slope toward the Spook's western garden, Alice ran to my side and matched me step for step."No need to sulk, Tom!" she said softly. "It's a nice mild summer's night. Let's make the best of it while we can. Be on our travels soon, we will, and we'll both be wishing we were back here."Alice was right. I'd be fourteen at the beginning of August, and I'd been the Spook's apprentice for more than a year now. Although we'd faced many serious dangers together, something even worse was looming.

  For some time the Spook had been hearing reports that the threat from the Pendle witches was growing; he'd told me that we'd soon be traveling there to try and deal with it. But there were dozens of witches and maybe hundreds of their supporters, and I couldn't see how we could triumph against such odds. After all, there were only three of us: the Spook, Alice, and me."I'm not sulking," I said."Yes, you are. Your chin's almost touching the grass."We walked on in silence until we entered the garden and saw the Spook's house through the trees."Ain't said anything yet about when we're off to Pendle, has he?" Alice asked."Not a thing.""Haven't you asked? Don't find nothing out without asking!""'Course I've asked him," I told Alice. "He just taps the side of his nose and tells me that I'll find out in good time. My guess is that he's waiting for something, but I don't know what.""Well, I just wish he'd get on with it. The waiting's making me nervous.""Really?" I said. "I'm in no rush to leave, and I didn't think you'd want to go back there." "I don't. It's a bad place, Pendle, and it's a big place, too --a whole district with villages and hamlets and big, ugly Pendle Hill right at its center. I've got a lot of evil family there I'd sooner forget about. But if we've got to go, I'd like to get it over and done with. I can hardly sleep at night now -worrying about it."

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