branches of a sycamore and came directly to the point.
‘I heard you chanting at the mirror last night, Alice. I went into your room and saw you talking to Grimalkin. What did she say? Is she on her way? I’m surprised you haven’t told me about it already …’ I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice.
Alice looked flustered for a moment and bit her lip. ‘Sorry, Tom,’ she said. ‘Was going to tell you but thought it best to wait a while. It ain’t good news.’
‘What? You mean she isn’t able to join us?’
‘She’s coming, all right, but it could be some time before she manages it. Enemy soldiers swept through Pendle and tried to clear out the witch clans. At first it went their way, and they burned some houses and killed a few witches. But once it was dark, the clans conjured up a thick fog and, after scaring the men, drove them into Witch Dell, where many met their deaths. The witches feasted well that night. Though that didn’t satisfy the Malkins, because they sent Grimalkin after the commander, who had taken refuge in Caster Castle.
‘Grimalkin scaled the walls at midnight and killed him in his bed. She took his thumb-bones and wrote a curse on the bedroom wall in his blood.’
I shivered at that. The witch assassin was ruthless and could be cruel when the situation demanded it. Nobody would want to be on the wrong side of her.
‘After that there was a price on her head, and every enemy soldier north of Priestown is hunting her down,’ Alice continued. ‘She’s hoping to reach Scotland and get a boat from there to bring her to Ireland.’
‘I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me this earlier.’
‘Sorry, Tom, but I really did think it was best to keep the bad news from you for a while.’
‘But it’s not that bad , Alice. Grimalkin escaped and, although delayed, is still on her way.’
Alice lowered her eyes and looked down at her pointy shoes. ‘There’s more, Tom … I can’t hide anything from you for long, can I? You see, Grimalkin’s worried about you. She wants to destroy the Fiend, she does, but believes that she can only do it with your help. She believes what your mam said – that you will find a way to finish him. But now she’s been warned by a scryer that you’re in danger – that you risk death at the hands of a dead witch …’
‘What – you mean—?’
‘Yes – the Celtic witch you mentioned – the one Old Arkwright killed. Grimalkin said she’s back from the dead and she’s hunting you down.’
Images from my nightmare came vividly into my mind. Were they a warning? Perhaps that’s why I kept having the same dream over and over again. But how could that witch be after me? I wondered.
‘It’s not possible, Alice. She can’t come back. Bill Arkwright fed her heart to his dogs!’
‘Are you sure? Grimalkin seemed certain that she was right,’ Alice said.
‘I was there when he did it, Alice. I saw him throw it to Claw and her pups.’
If you hanged a witch, she could come back from the dead, but there were two ways to make sure that she couldn’t return. One was to burn her; the other was to cut out her heart and eat it. This was why Bill Arkwright always fed the hearts of water witches to his dogs. He’d done the same with the Celtic witch: it was a tried and tested spook’s method – it always worked. That witch was dead beyond any hope of return.
‘Do you remember me telling you about my dream, Alice – the one about the Morrigan?’ I asked her.
She nodded.
‘Well, I’ve been having that same nightmare every night. A large black crow is flying after me. I’m in a forest, running towards a chapel. It’s my only chance of refuge and I have to get inside before midnight – otherwise it’ll be the end of me. But then the crow shifts its shape. It’s standing nearby, with the body of a woman but the head of a crow …’
‘Ain’t no doubt about it – that’s the Morrigan for sure,’ said Alice.
‘But then the
‘I heard you chanting at the mirror last night, Alice. I went into your room and saw you talking to Grimalkin. What did she say? Is she on her way? I’m surprised you haven’t told me about it already …’ I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice.
Alice looked flustered for a moment and bit her lip. ‘Sorry, Tom,’ she said. ‘Was going to tell you but thought it best to wait a while. It ain’t good news.’
‘What? You mean she isn’t able to join us?’
‘She’s coming, all right, but it could be some time before she manages it. Enemy soldiers swept through Pendle and tried to clear out the witch clans. At first it went their way, and they burned some houses and killed a few witches. But once it was dark, the clans conjured up a thick fog and, after scaring the men, drove them into Witch Dell, where many met their deaths. The witches feasted well that night. Though that didn’t satisfy the Malkins, because they sent Grimalkin after the commander, who had taken refuge in Caster Castle.
‘Grimalkin scaled the walls at midnight and killed him in his bed. She took his thumb-bones and wrote a curse on the bedroom wall in his blood.’
I shivered at that. The witch assassin was ruthless and could be cruel when the situation demanded it. Nobody would want to be on the wrong side of her.
‘After that there was a price on her head, and every enemy soldier north of Priestown is hunting her down,’ Alice continued. ‘She’s hoping to reach Scotland and get a boat from there to bring her to Ireland.’
‘I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me this earlier.’
‘Sorry, Tom, but I really did think it was best to keep the bad news from you for a while.’
‘But it’s not that bad , Alice. Grimalkin escaped and, although delayed, is still on her way.’
Alice lowered her eyes and looked down at her pointy shoes. ‘There’s more, Tom … I can’t hide anything from you for long, can I? You see, Grimalkin’s worried about you. She wants to destroy the Fiend, she does, but believes that she can only do it with your help. She believes what your mam said – that you will find a way to finish him. But now she’s been warned by a scryer that you’re in danger – that you risk death at the hands of a dead witch …’
‘What – you mean—?’
‘Yes – the Celtic witch you mentioned – the one Old Arkwright killed. Grimalkin said she’s back from the dead and she’s hunting you down.’
Images from my nightmare came vividly into my mind. Were they a warning? Perhaps that’s why I kept having the same dream over and over again. But how could that witch be after me? I wondered.
‘It’s not possible, Alice. She can’t come back. Bill Arkwright fed her heart to his dogs!’
‘Are you sure? Grimalkin seemed certain that she was right,’ Alice said.
‘I was there when he did it, Alice. I saw him throw it to Claw and her pups.’
If you hanged a witch, she could come back from the dead, but there were two ways to make sure that she couldn’t return. One was to burn her; the other was to cut out her heart and eat it. This was why Bill Arkwright always fed the hearts of water witches to his dogs. He’d done the same with the Celtic witch: it was a tried and tested spook’s method – it always worked. That witch was dead beyond any hope of return.
‘Do you remember me telling you about my dream, Alice – the one about the Morrigan?’ I asked her.
She nodded.
‘Well, I’ve been having that same nightmare every night. A large black crow is flying after me. I’m in a forest, running towards a chapel. It’s my only chance of refuge and I have to get inside before midnight – otherwise it’ll be the end of me. But then the crow shifts its shape. It’s standing nearby, with the body of a woman but the head of a crow …’
‘Ain’t no doubt about it – that’s the Morrigan for sure,’ said Alice.
‘But then the
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