Wardstone 7 - The Spook's Nightmare (5 page)

‘We’d little choice but to leave it,’ said the Spook mildly. ‘Enemy soldiers burned my house and we were in peril of our lives. All we ask is to stay here for a short while until it’s safe to return. We come prepared to work and earn our keep as best we can.’

The man lowered his club and nodded. ‘You’ll work all right, if you’re given the chance – just as hard as all the others. So far, most seeking refuge from the County have been coming ashore at Douglas, to the north. But we knew some would try to sneak in like you lot, so we’ve been keeping watch,’ he said, looking first at the Spook and then at me. I saw him note our distinctive hooded cloaks, then our staffs and bags. Even those on Mona would recognize the garb and accessories of our trade.

Next he studied Alice, looking down at her pointy shoes, and I saw his eyes widen. He quickly crossed himself. ‘What’s a spook doing in the company of a witch?’ he demanded.

‘The girl’s no witch,’ the Spook replied calmly. ‘She’s been working for me copying books. And this is my apprentice, Tom Ward.’

‘Well, he won’t be your apprentice while he’s here with us, old man. We’ve no call for those of your trade and have our own ways of dealing with witches. Once sorted, those chosen will all work on the land. It’s food we need, not your hocus-pocus.’

‘
Sorted
?’ asked the Spook. ‘Explain what you mean by that!’

‘We didn’t ask you to come here,’ growled the yeoman, lifting his club again. ‘The lad’s young and strong, and will certainly be put to work. But some go back into the sea – and we might have different remedies for others . . .’ His gaze fell on Alice.

I didn’t like the sound of that, so I stepped forward to stand beside my master.

‘What do you mean by “back into the sea”?’ I demanded.

The Spook rested his hand on my shoulder. ‘Take it easy, lad. I think we both know what he means.’

‘Aye – those who can’t work are food for the fishes. Old men like you. And as for witches,’ the yeoman said, scowling at Alice, ‘you’re not the first to have tried to sneak ashore this past week. You’ll all get what’s coming to you. We have our own way of dealing with your kind!’

‘I think we’ve heard enough,’ said the Spook, rain dripping off the end of his nose. He lifted his staff and held it across his body in the defensive position. The man gave a mirthless grin and stepped forward aggressively.

Everything happened very fast then. The stranger swung his club at my master’s head, but it didn’t make contact. The ‘old man’ was no longer there. The Spook stepped to one side and delivered two rapid blows. The first cracked his assailant on the wrist to send the club spinning from his hand and a cry of pain bursting from his lips. The second thwacked him hard on the side of the head to drop him unconscious at our feet.

‘Not exactly the best of starts, lad!’ said my master, shaking his head.

I looked back. The four fishermen had come out of their shelter and were staring at us. The Spook followed my gaze, then pointed up the hill. ‘Best we put some distance between ourselves and the shore,’ he said immediately, striding out at a furious pace that had Alice and me struggling to keep up.

W
e climbed up through the trees, the Spook some distance ahead.

For the next half-hour or so my master did his best to take a route that would throw any trackers, even hounds, off our trail. We walked up to our knees in two different streams, once leaving by a different bank, the next time by the same. When he was finally satisfied, the Spook led us northwards at a slower pace.

‘We’d have been better off taking our chances in the County,’ Alice remarked. ‘Don’t care how many streams we cross, they’ll hunt us down now for sure. Soon find us on an island this size.’

‘I don’t think Mona’s that small, Alice. There’ll be
plenty of places to hide,’ I told her. I hoped I was right.

The Spook had reached the summit of a hill and was staring off into the distance.

‘Think they’ll make a serious effort to find us?’ I asked him, catching up at last.

‘Could do, lad. I reckon our friend back there will wake up with a bit of a headache – he certainly won’t come after us alone. Those fishermen didn’t chase after us, so he’ll need to find himself some proper help and that’ll take time. Did you see that symbol and sign on his shoulder?’

‘Three armoured legs in a circle,’ I replied.

‘And the Latin underneath means …?’ my master asked.

‘Wherever you throw me I’ll stand?’

‘Aye, that’s near enough – it suggests self-reliance, lad. They’re a tough, resilient people, and we’ve clearly come to the wrong place. That said, I reckon we’ve shaken ’em off our trail now. Besides,’ he continued, pointing down the hill, ‘they’ve got more than just us to worry about!’

Far below I could see a large town and a harbour full
of boats of all sizes. Beyond that lay a wide half-moon bay with a scattering of larger vessels, some of them a good distance from the land. Smaller boats were ferrying people to the shore. A huge flock of seagulls circled over the harbour, making a racket that we could hear up on the hill.

‘That’s Douglas, the largest town on the island. More people seeking refuge like ourselves,’ said the Spook. ‘Some of those ships will be sailing away again soon, but most probably not back to the County. I might just have enough money to get us a passage further west to Ireland. We should receive a warmer welcome there. It certainly couldn’t be any worse.’

‘But will they let us leave?’ I asked.

‘Best if we go without ’em noticing, lad. We’ll wait until nightfall, then you go down into the town. Most sailors like a drink or two – you’ll find them in the waterfront taverns. With a bit of luck you’ll be able to hire someone with a small boat.’

‘I’ll go with Tom,’ Alice said quickly, ‘and keep my eyes peeled for danger—’

‘No, girl, you stay with me and the dogs. The lad will be better off alone this time . . .’

‘Why can’t Alice come with me? Two pairs of eyes are better than one,’ I suggested.

The Spook glared at us in turn. ‘Are you two bound by an invisible chain?’ he asked, shaking his head. ‘You’ve hardly been apart lately. No, I’ve made up my mind. The girl stays here!’

Alice glanced at me and I saw fear flicker in her eyes as she thought of the blood jar, the only thing keeping the Fiend at bay. Inside that jar were six drops of blood: three of hers and three of mine. Alice was safe too – as long as she stayed close to me. But if I went down into the town alone, there was nothing to stop the Fiend taking his revenge upon her. So I knew that, although she didn’t argue now, she’d disobey the Spook and follow me.

I set off down the hill soon after dark, leaving my cloak, bag and staff behind. It seemed that the islanders didn’t welcome spooks – or their apprentices. By now they
could be searching for us in the town. The clouds had blown away and it was a clear starry night with a pale half-moon high in the sky. Once I’d walked a hundred yards or so I stopped and waited. It wasn’t long before Alice was by my side.

‘Did Mr Gregory try to stop you?’ I asked.

Alice shook her head. ‘Told him I was off hunting for rabbits, but he shook his head and glanced down at my feet so I know he didn’t believe me.’

I saw that her feet were bare.

‘I sneaked my shoes into your bag, Tom. Less chance of anyone thinking I’m a witch that way.’

We set off down the hill and soon emerged from the trees onto a grassy slope made slippery by the recent rain. Alice wasn’t used to going barefoot and slipped onto her bottom twice before we reached the first of the cottages and found a gritted track.

Ten minutes later we were in the town, making our way through the narrow cobbled streets towards the harbour. Douglas thronged with sailors, but there were a few women about too, some of them barefoot like
Alice – so apart from being the prettiest by far, she didn’t stand out in any way.

There were almost as many seagulls as people and they seemed aggressive and fearless, swooping down towards people’s heads. I saw one snatch a slice of bread from a man’s hand just as he was about to take a bite.

‘Horrible birds, those,’ said Alice. ‘Rats with wings, they are.’

After a while we came to a broad, busy thoroughfare in which every fifth house seemed to be an inn. I glanced through the window of the first tavern. It looked full, but I didn’t realize how full until I opened the door. Warm air and a strong odour of ale wafted over me; the loud, boisterous crowd of drinkers inside were standing shoulder to shoulder. I saw that I would have to push my way in forcefully, so I turned, shook my head at Alice and led the way further down the street.

All the other inns we passed looked equally busy, but then I glanced down a side street that sloped away
towards the harbour and saw what looked like another tavern. When I opened the door, it was almost deserted, with just a few men sitting on stools at the bar. I was about to step inside when the proprietor shook his fist at me and Alice.

‘Be off with you! We don’t allow riff-raff in here!’ he shouted.

I didn’t need telling twice – the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself. I was just about to head back towards the main thoroughfare when Alice pointed in the opposite direction.

‘Try there, Tom. Looks like another tavern further down . . .’

She was soon proved right. It was right at the end of the narrow street, on the corner, the main door facing towards the harbour. Like the last tavern, it was almost empty, with just a few people standing at the bar clutching tankards of ale. The proprietor looked across at me with interest rather than hostility, and that curiosity quickly decided me – it was better to get out. But just as I turned to go, a voice called my name.

‘Well, if it isn’t Tom Ward!’ And a large red-faced man with side whiskers strode towards me.

It was Captain Baines of the
Celeste
, the ship that Mam had chartered for our voyage to Greece the previous summer. He operated out of Sunderland Point. No doubt he’d sailed here with a hold full of those fleeing the invaders.

‘It’s good to see you, lad. The girl too!’ he said, looking at Alice, who was standing in the open doorway. ‘Come across and warm yourselves by the fire.’

The captain wore a long, dark, waterproof coat with a thick grey woollen jumper underneath: sailors certainly knew how to dress for cold weather. He led the way back to a bare wooden table in the corner, and we sat down on stools facing him.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.

I nodded. I was starving. Apart from a few mouthfuls of cheese, the last thing we’d eaten had been the rabbits that Alice had cooked the previous night.

‘Landlord, bring us two steak and ale pies and make them piping hot!’ he called out towards the bar, then
turned back to face us. ‘Who brought you across the water?’ he asked, lowering his voice.

‘We came in a small fishing boat. We were dropped south of Douglas but ran into trouble right away. We were lucky to escape. A man with a club tried to arrest us but Mr Gregory knocked him out.’

‘Where’s your master now?’

‘He’s up on the hillside south of the town. He sent me down to see if I could hire a boat to take us further west to Ireland.’

‘You’ve little chance of that, young Tom. My own ship, the
Celeste
, is impounded and has armed guards on board. As for the people I brought here, they’re all in custody. Same with the refugees from the other ships. You can’t really blame the islanders though. The last thing they want is for the invaders to come here. They’re scared of witches fleeing the County too – and with good reason. A small fishing boat came ashore to the north. Both crew members were dead – they’d been drained of blood and their thumb-bones cut away.’

At that Alice gave a little gasp. I knew what she was
thinking. The Pendle witches would no doubt stay put and wait to see what happened. But this could well be the work of another witch – some would have fled the County – and what if it was Alice’s mother?

What if Bony Lizzie was at large on the island?

W
e both tucked into our hot steak and ale pies while the captain told us what he knew. It seemed that almost all the refugees were being returned to the County. The leaders of the island’s Ruling Council were afraid that if they weren’t, Mona would be the next place to come under attack.