the more skilled used lip-reading. She must be trying to reach Grimalkin.
My heart leaped, for instead of Alice’s reflection I could see the outline of a woman’s head in the mirror. From my position by the door I couldn’t make out her features, but for a moment my blood ran cold. However, as I moved closer to this mirror, the chill quickly passed, for now I recognized Grimalkin’s face.
Alice had established contact at last. I was elated, filled with hope. Perhaps the witch assassin would soon come to Ireland and help us to bind the Fiend so that we could finally stop relying on the failing blood jar.
I knew that if she emerged from her trance and found me sitting there, she might get a terrible shock, so I left, shutting the door quietly behind me. Once back in my room, I sat down on the chair and waited for her. I felt certain that she’d soon come and tell me about her conversation with Grimalkin.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting up with a jolt. I’d fallen asleep. It was the middle of the night and my candle had burned low. I was surprised to find that Alice hadn’t paid me a visit, but maybe she’d fallen asleep too. We’d been travelling for two days and were both tired. So I got undressed and climbed into bed.
* * *
A gentle rap on my door awoke me. I sat up. The morning sun was streaming through the curtains. The door opened slightly and I saw that Alice was standing there, smiling at me.
‘Still in bed, sleepy head?’ she said. ‘We’re already late for breakfast. I can hear them talking. Can’t you smell the bacon?’
I smiled back. ‘See you downstairs!’ I said.
It was only when Alice had left and I started to get dressed that I realized she hadn’t mentioned talking to Grimalkin in the mirror. I frowned. Surely it was too important to leave until later, I thought.
For a moment I considered the possibility that I’d just dreamed it, but my master had always stressed the importance of knowing the difference between waking and dreaming. The state in between could sometimes be a problem for spooks; that was when witches and other servants of the dark sometimes tried to influence you for their own ends. It was vital to know which was which. No – I knew it hadn’t been a dream.
I went down to breakfast and was soon tucking into pork sausages and bacon while my master questioned our host further about our enemies, the goat mages.
I was only half listening to what was being said. I wanted to get Alice alone as soon as possible so that I could ask her about last night. Was Grimalkin finally on her way to join us? Would she reach us before the protection of the blood jar failed? Why hadn’t Alice mentioned her conversation to the Spook as well? There was something strange and worrying going on here.
‘I need a bit of air – I’m going for a walk,’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘The dogs could do with some exercise, anyway.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Alice said with a smile. Of course, that’s what I’d planned: she couldn’t afford to be separated from the blood jar.
‘It would be best not to wander too far from the house,’ said Shey. ‘Kenmare is a refuge, but even though I have guards watching the approaches to the town, the area is not entirely safe. Our enemies will almost certainly be watching us.’
‘Aye, lad. Take heed,’ added the Spook. ‘We’re in a land that’s strange to us and we’re dealing with the unknown.’
With a nod of agreement, I left the dining room with Alice. We went to the kennels to collect Claw, Blood and Bone, and were soon passing through the front gate and striding briskly down the slope away from the house. It was a fine sunny morning again, the very best that could be hoped for in late winter, and the dogs raced ahead excitedly, following scents and barking loudly.
Keeping an eye out for anything untoward, we entered a small wood where the ground was still white with frost, and there I paused beneath the bare
My heart leaped, for instead of Alice’s reflection I could see the outline of a woman’s head in the mirror. From my position by the door I couldn’t make out her features, but for a moment my blood ran cold. However, as I moved closer to this mirror, the chill quickly passed, for now I recognized Grimalkin’s face.
Alice had established contact at last. I was elated, filled with hope. Perhaps the witch assassin would soon come to Ireland and help us to bind the Fiend so that we could finally stop relying on the failing blood jar.
I knew that if she emerged from her trance and found me sitting there, she might get a terrible shock, so I left, shutting the door quietly behind me. Once back in my room, I sat down on the chair and waited for her. I felt certain that she’d soon come and tell me about her conversation with Grimalkin.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting up with a jolt. I’d fallen asleep. It was the middle of the night and my candle had burned low. I was surprised to find that Alice hadn’t paid me a visit, but maybe she’d fallen asleep too. We’d been travelling for two days and were both tired. So I got undressed and climbed into bed.
* * *
A gentle rap on my door awoke me. I sat up. The morning sun was streaming through the curtains. The door opened slightly and I saw that Alice was standing there, smiling at me.
‘Still in bed, sleepy head?’ she said. ‘We’re already late for breakfast. I can hear them talking. Can’t you smell the bacon?’
I smiled back. ‘See you downstairs!’ I said.
It was only when Alice had left and I started to get dressed that I realized she hadn’t mentioned talking to Grimalkin in the mirror. I frowned. Surely it was too important to leave until later, I thought.
For a moment I considered the possibility that I’d just dreamed it, but my master had always stressed the importance of knowing the difference between waking and dreaming. The state in between could sometimes be a problem for spooks; that was when witches and other servants of the dark sometimes tried to influence you for their own ends. It was vital to know which was which. No – I knew it hadn’t been a dream.
I went down to breakfast and was soon tucking into pork sausages and bacon while my master questioned our host further about our enemies, the goat mages.
I was only half listening to what was being said. I wanted to get Alice alone as soon as possible so that I could ask her about last night. Was Grimalkin finally on her way to join us? Would she reach us before the protection of the blood jar failed? Why hadn’t Alice mentioned her conversation to the Spook as well? There was something strange and worrying going on here.
‘I need a bit of air – I’m going for a walk,’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘The dogs could do with some exercise, anyway.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Alice said with a smile. Of course, that’s what I’d planned: she couldn’t afford to be separated from the blood jar.
‘It would be best not to wander too far from the house,’ said Shey. ‘Kenmare is a refuge, but even though I have guards watching the approaches to the town, the area is not entirely safe. Our enemies will almost certainly be watching us.’
‘Aye, lad. Take heed,’ added the Spook. ‘We’re in a land that’s strange to us and we’re dealing with the unknown.’
With a nod of agreement, I left the dining room with Alice. We went to the kennels to collect Claw, Blood and Bone, and were soon passing through the front gate and striding briskly down the slope away from the house. It was a fine sunny morning again, the very best that could be hoped for in late winter, and the dogs raced ahead excitedly, following scents and barking loudly.
Keeping an eye out for anything untoward, we entered a small wood where the ground was still white with frost, and there I paused beneath the bare
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