Fire Witch

by Matt Ralphs

  ‘Why do you think, furry-brain?’ Titus said. ‘They were old.’

  ‘Ah,’ Hazel said, ‘because since putting on the doctor’s robes and boots the demon’s not left any tracks.’

  ‘Exactly. The old trail to the doctor’s door led back here.’ Titus pointed to a broken window on the ground floor of a warehouse. ‘Through that window, in fact. Fear not – our quarry isn’t at home at present, but it’ll be back before daybreak.’

  Hazel suppressed a shiver of fear. ‘You’d better tell me what we’re dealing with.’

  ‘The name of the demon we hunt is Bloodybones,’ Titus said. ‘A daemon-mediocritas, cunning and cruel. You’ve seen its size and form already. I just hope we don’t have to face it unmasked – its features are by all accounts disconcerting.’

  ‘Bloodybones . . . Yes, that’s a fitting name,’ Hazel said, remembering her encounter at the tavern. ‘How did you find out its name?’

  Titus told them about the finger found in the dead girl’s hand and how he’d used it, and the description Hazel had provided, to identify their dangerous quarry.

  ‘And so tonight is our chance to rid London of this horror and get the blood we need for the magic circle,’ Titus concluded. He picked up a bucket and a lantern from the doorway. ‘Hazel, can you light this for me? Thanks . . . Now, come with me. I want to show you what we need to do.’

  Being careful not to cut herself on the glass, Hazel followed Titus through the broken window and into the warehouse.

  The air was warm and left an unpleasant salty taste in her mouth.

  The far walls were lost in darkness, and Hazel had the unnerving impression she was in a place without boundaries. Lantern light bounced from a forest of timber pillars and branching rafters as Titus headed deeper inside. ‘This used to be a meat-packing warehouse,’ he said, making his way past notched butcher’s blocks and meat hooks dangling on chains. ‘But it’s been abandoned ever since this last outbreak of plague.’

  ‘Perfect place to hide,’Bramley said from Hazel’s shoulder, his whiskers twitching nervously. ‘But who summoned this beast? And why?’

  ‘Good questions, Master Mouse. But one thing at a time, eh?’ He stopped in a cleared space where moonlight poured like milk through skylights far above. ‘You are now standing in a magic circle – a trap I’ve made to catch our demon.’

  Hazel looked down and saw faint lines and patterns on the floor, forming a circle about ten paces across. ‘Wait a moment – is this drawn in blood?’

  ‘It is. The spell demands it.’

  ‘And where did you get the blood?’ Hazel stared at him in dawning horror. ‘Oh, Titus! This is yours, isn’t it?’ She pulled up his coat sleeve to reveal a bandage around his arm.

  Titus shrugged. ‘Where else was I going to get human blood from at such short notice?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you shouldn’t have used your own. No wonder you look about ready to keel over.’

  ‘Now see here, my girl,’ Titus growled, ‘I’m as strong as ever I was and losing a few drops of blood . . .’

  Hazel fumed. ‘A few drops?’

  ‘Hey, you two!’ Bramley squeaked. ‘Stop wasting time. In case you’ve forgotten, our friendly killer demon might come back at any moment.’

  ‘Quite right, Master Mouse,’ Titus said, pulling his sleeve back down. ‘Now listen: as soon as Bloodybones crosses the edge of this circle a magic wall stronger than stone will rise up in less time than it takes to blink. In other words, make sure you get outside the circle before the demon enters.’

  ‘Wait.’ Bramley held up a paw. ‘Why would we be inside the circle when the demon is so close?’

  ‘I think, Bram,’ Hazel said quietly, ‘it’s because for this plan to work I’m to be the bait that draws the demon into the trap.’

  ‘What?’ Bramley spluttered.

  ‘I’m afraid so,’ Titus said. ‘This demon hunts children, and has already shown a special interest in Hazel. It won’t be able to resist her.’

  ‘All right,’ Bramley fumed. ‘Assuming we survive the predatory attentions of a vengeful demon and manage to trap it without being killed ourselves, what happens next?’

  Titus removed the Necronomicon from his pocket. ‘I read out a spell that will incapacitate the demon long enough for me to draw off its blood. After that I shoot a bullet into its heart and send its soul back to the Underworld. Understand?’

  Hazel nodded. Bramley sulked.

  ‘Good luck, slop-sprite.’ Titus brushed the hair from her cheek. ‘I won’t be far away.’

  37

  BLOOD AND BONES

  ‘I am at heart a country gentleman, but there is no place for

  gentility in this war against the witches.’

  Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell

  ‘Another fine mess,’ Bramley muttered from his lookout perch on top of Hazel’s head.

  ‘I know, Bram,’ Hazel said. ‘Why don’t you go and find Titus? No need for both of us to take this risk.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Bramley said, tapping his tail against her forehead. ‘I’m not leaving you to face this beast alone. Just remember, the plan is to run away. Got it? Run away.’

  ‘I understand.’ She paced the circle, feeling trapped and wary. ‘Talk to me, Bram. Take my mind off this awful waiting.’

  ‘All right, here’s a question for you. When are you going to tell Titus that David is marked to die alongside all those witches?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Hazel sighed. ‘I’m dreading it. Titus will just blame himself, even though David’s fate is my fault, not his.’

  ‘Oh for goodness sake! I’ve never met such a couple of martyrs as you and Titus. What does it matter whose fault it is? You have to tell him – he has a right to know.’

  ‘I know, I know. And I will, after we’ve got this over with. In fact, when he finds out about David he might be more willing to help me find a way to rescue the witches.’

  ‘Oh yes, I’d all but forgotten about that fresh dose of insanity . . .’ Bramley froze, then crawled slowly down to Hazel’s shoulder. ‘Look over there, by the main door. I think our demon is here.’

  The light from the lantern at Hazel’s feet did not reach far beyond the magic circle, but on the very edge of the surrounding darkness the plague doctor stood, perfectly still and watching her.

  Her heart thudded in her throat, but she didn’t take a single step backwards – everything depended on her doing what Titus had said. Meat hooks jangled, seconds dragged by, and the demon remained motionless except for a barely perceptible sway.

  Hazel balanced on the balls of her feet and, unable to bear the wait any longer, cried, ‘Well? Here I am. Come and get me!’ But still the demon didn’t move. Perhaps it knew about the trap.

  ‘Something’s wrong,’ Bramley whispered. ‘Look closely, Hazel – is it my imagination or is it floating?’

  Hazel raised the lantern over her head, casting the light further into the darkness. There was a gap under the demon’s robes where its boots should be – Bramley was right, it was floating.

  ‘That’s not Bloodybones,’ Hazel breathed. ‘Its just the robe hanging from some chains.’

  ‘So where . . . ?’

  Movement overhead! And Hazel looked up into a pair of bloodshot and protuberant eyes. Bloodybones, human in form yet gruesomely thin, hung upside down from a rafter, close enough for Hazel to feel its cold breath against her face.

  ‘Red Witch,’ it hissed, tongue squirming behind blunt grey teeth. ‘Found you!’

  Pure shock caused Hazel to duck – a second before Bloodybones lashed out. Claws sliced the air barely an inch from her nose. The white demon grinned, writhing towards her like a maggot on a hook.

  ‘Hazel, get out of there!’ Titus shouted from the darkness.

  Bloodybones unclasped one of its feet from the rafter and began to lower its leg to the floor. Hazel wanted to move, but the demon seemed to hold her to the spot with its terrible eyes. White hot pai
n shot through her ear, strong enough to make her scream and break the spell.

  With Bramley still clinging by his teeth to her ear, Hazel threw herself under the demon and rolled over the edge of the circle just as its foot touched the ground. The air hummed as a shimmering wall of magic reached up to the ceiling far above, trapping Bloodybones inside.

  Hazel slowly clambered to her feet. ‘You can let go now, Bram,’ she said, lifting him away from her punctured ear. ‘We’ve done it.’

  Titus puffed up to her. ‘Are you all right? That was far too close.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Hazel replied with a rueful smile. She took the handkerchief offered by Titus and dabbed it against her throbbing ear. ‘Thanks to Bram.’

  They approached the magic circle and peered through its crackling layers.

  Bloodybones pressed its hands on the other side of the wall. ‘Red Witch, I see you.’

  ‘But you can’t get me,’ Hazel said, feeling a hot flash of anger. ‘And now we’ve stopped your murdering ways forever.’

  ‘I’ve had my fill of childish souls,’ it replied, licking its lips. ‘I’ll return home . . . sated.’

  ‘You won’t return anywhere,’ Bramley said. ‘We’re going to kill you for what you’ve done.’

  ‘You will not,’ Bloodybones said, ‘for I am of demon-kind. You may destroy this flesh, this bone, but my soul will live on.’

  ‘Who summoned you, Bloodybones?’ Titus said.

  ‘I know not her name, but she wielded magic that froze the air.’

  Hazel swallowed. ‘Why were you summoned?’

  ‘For one purpose – to find you, the Red Witch, the one who burns.’ The demon snapped its teeth together. ‘And gorge upon your soul!’

  ‘So why hunt the others if you were here for her?’ Titus said, bristling with anger.

  ‘Why not?’ Bloodybones’ laugh gurgled from deep in its throat. ‘The summoner’s spells were too weak to hold my appetite in check. So I . . . feasted.’

  Hazel clenched her fists, trying to control her anger. ‘Your summoner, where is she now?’

  ‘She is my prisoner, held captive in the slaughter room yonder.’

  Titus drew Hazel aside. ‘The wall won’t last much longer – it’s time for me to get rid of this monster. Wait for me outside while I do my work.’

  Hazel couldn’t take her eyes off the grinning demon. ‘I want to watch.’

  ‘I know,’ Titus said. ‘But I don’t want you to see me do this. Go. For me.’ He gave her a gentle shove towards the door. ‘I’ll come for you when I’m done and we’ll face the summoner together.’

  Hazel reluctantly did as he asked, and was just climbing through the window when the demon started to scream.

  38

  A BOLD PROPOSITION

  ‘The demon he beckoned, the demon he spoke,

  the demon he led me until I awoke.’

  The heretic Alex Hellid before his execution

  ‘It’s her, isn’t it?’Hazel said, angrily kicking stones towards the river. ‘She summoned Bloodybones to kill me. For revenge.’

  ‘It makes sense,’ Bramley said from her shoulder. ‘After all, you did kill her demon – and in a very messy fashion, I might add.’

  ‘All those children dead.’ Hazel felt numb. ‘Because of me.’

  Bramley gave her already punctured ear a nip.

  ‘Ow! Stop doing that!’

  ‘Well, if you will say such ridiculous things,’ Bramley snapped. ‘What happened is her fault, and hers alone. She summoned and set Bloodybones loose, not you. She’s the person responsible for those deaths.’

  She. Her. Hazel could not bring herself to say the name out loud.

  Lilith Kilbride.

  Lilith Kilbride who had been Murrell’s Frost Witch consort and most trusted companion. Hazel had hardly given her a thought since leaving her tied up and unconscious in Murrell’s lair during their escape from the Coven all those weeks ago.

  ‘I still feel responsible,’ Hazel muttered, sitting down and dangling her legs over the jetty.

  ‘What should we do with her, assuming she’s still alive?’ Bramley said, jumping on to her lap.

  ‘Titus will probably want to execute her himself.’

  ‘More death?’ Bramley twitched his whiskers in consternation. ‘Killing her makes us no better than that demon she summoned. No, we can’t allow that.’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Hazel sighed. ‘But she has to pay for what she’s done.’

  ‘You mean punish her? But how?’

  ‘I don’t know . . . But something to atone for the damage she’s caused.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s possible, Hazel. Damage can be repaired, death can’t. Besides, she might not even want to atone.’

  The faint cries of the demon stopped, leaving just the gentle lap of the water around the jetty posts and the cry of gulls overhead.

  ‘Maybe we could get her to help us,’ Hazel said at last.

  ‘Help us?’ Bramley spluttered. ‘She’s been trying to kill you!’

  ‘I know, but we do have common causes, don’t we?’ She pointed to the prison hulk and then the Island. ‘Rescuing the witches and Murrell, the man she loves.’

  ‘But how could we trust her not to have another go at you? Perhaps we should just leave her where she is . . .’

  Hazel shook her head. ‘Bloodybones said Lilith summoned him to kill me, and me alone. He only hunted those other girls because her spells were too weak to contain his urges.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So she probably feels terrible about the damage she’s caused. Terrible enough perhaps to have reconsidered her thirst for revenge.’

  ‘You don’t know that, Hazel,’ Bramley said, shaking his head. ‘That woman must be mad to have done what she did. Working alongside her, even if she agrees to help, well, it’s too much of a risk.’

  ‘We’ll only know for sure when we talk to her,’ Hazel said, smoothing down Bramley’s bristling fur. ‘I just think that a powerful Wielder like Lilith would be useful to us. And heaven knows we need all the help we can get.’

  ‘He’ll never agree, you know . . .’ Bramley said. ‘Oh, speak of the devil!’

  There was a clank as Titus set the bucket down on the ground behind them. ‘It’s done. There’s more than enough blood there to draw the circle.’

  ‘Come and sit down,’ Hazel said, looking up at his grey face. ‘You look exhausted.’

  Titus slowly lowered himself next to Hazel. They sat in silence for a while, watching the stars fade and the morning sun bathe the river in pale light, both thinking it was far too beautiful a day to herald the impending horror of the Execution Pageant.

  Bramley peered at Titus from the crook of Hazel’s arm. ‘The demon – it’s gone?’

  ‘Aye,’ Titus nodded. ‘The spell worked, the demon’s dead, its soul flung back to the Underworld, and we have its blood.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Hazel said.

  ‘I did what had to be done. After that ordeal, drawing the magic circle in the arena will be easy.’ He tapped Hazel on the knee. ‘Now listen, you need to make sure you’re close enough tonight to run into the gate as soon as it opens. I’ll be under the platform waiting for you – with some provisions, of course.’

  ‘Titus, I . . .’ Hazel began.

  ‘I can hardly believe I’m following in the footsteps of men like Petrov,’ Titus said, shaking his shaggy head. ‘Or Murrell.’

  ‘Titus, listen! I need to talk to you. It’s important.’

  The old Witch Finder raised his eyebrows. ‘Something tells me I’m not going to like this.’

  ‘No,’ Hazel sighed. ‘You’re not.’ She pointed at the prison hulk moored in the shadow of Cromwell Island. ‘There are three hundred and sixty-four witches on board that ship, and they are all to be executed tonight.’

  ‘All of them?’ Titus gasped.

  ‘On Cromwell’s orders,’ Bramley said. ‘We saw the death certificates ourselves.’
/>   ‘They’re going to set it alight with the prisoners locked below,’ Hazel said. ‘The Order wants everyone in London to see the flames.’

  Titus balled his hands into fists. ‘Can we stop this? When’s it happening?’

  ‘Tonight, about an hour before Murrell’s execution.’

  ‘Tonight? Then there’s no time for us to . . .’ He turned to look at Hazel. ‘Now wait a minute, girl – we agreed that I was to come with you into the Underworld.’

  ‘I know we did.’

  ‘Good,’ Titus growled. ‘So that means there’s no chance of you suggesting that I rescue those witches and leave you to go into that terrible place alone?’

  ‘I’m not suggesting anything.’ Hazel looked down at her hands. ‘How can I? I know it’s an impossible choice for you to make.’

  ‘There’s no choice, Hazel. I’m coming with you, just like we agreed. I’m sorry for those witches, of course I am, but I cannot go back on my word.’

  ‘Hazel?’ Bramley said. ‘You need to . . .’

  ‘I know, Bram, but it’s difficult.’ She laid her hand on Titus’s. ‘There’s something else you need to know. About David.’

  Titus tensed, as if preparing to be struck. ‘What about him?’

  ‘He’s a prisoner on the hulk too. He’ll die with the rest if we don’t do something about it.’

  ‘Why . . .’ His voice cracked across the word. ‘Why did you tell me that?’

  ‘I had to. This is David we’re talking about.’

  Titus got up and stalked to the end of the jetty, head down, shoulders slumped. ‘You’re certain? He’s on that hulk right now?’

  ‘He is,’ Hazel replied. ‘David told the Order everything he knew about you, me, Murrell, the Coven. And after they’d squeezed him dry they threw him aside.’

  Titus stared out at the glittering water. A few boats plied the waves: early-morning wherries, a portly cargo ship tacking upstream towards the docks, a flat-bottomed lighter piled high with hay bales.

  Hazel waited, running her finger down Bramley’s back, hating herself for adding more misery on to the man who had already done so much for her.