The Last Apprentice: Complete Collection

by Joseph Delaney

“Aye, lad, just once. I went there as an apprentice. My master was there to deal with a troublesome sea wraith that had been haunting the shore. That done, on the hill above the cliffs we passed the graves, and I knew there was something there because what had been a warm summer’s night suddenly became very cold. When my master kept on walking, I asked him why he wasn’t stopping to do something.

  “‘Leave well enough alone,’” he told me. “‘It’s a bother to nobody. Besides, some ghosts stay on this earth because they’ve a task to perform. So it’s best to leave ’em to it.’ I didn’t know what he meant at the time, but as usual he was right.”

  I tried to imagine the Spook as an apprentice. He’d have been a lot older than me because he’d trained as a priest first. I wondered what his own master had been like, a man who would take on an apprentice so old.

  “Anyway,” said the Spook, “we’ll be going to Heysham very soon, but before that happens there’s something else that has to be done. Know what it is?”

  I shivered. I knew what he was going to say.

  “We have to deal with the girl, so we need to know where she’s hiding. My guess would be in the ruin of Lizzie’s house. What do you think?” the Spook demanded.

  I was going to tell him that I disagreed, but he stared at me hard until I was forced to drop my gaze to the ground. I couldn’t lie to him.

  “That’s where she’d probably stay,” I admitted.

  “Well, lad, she can’t stay there for much longer. She’s a danger to everyone. She’ll have to go into a pit. And the sooner the better. So you’d better start digging. . . .”

  I looked at him, hardly able to believe what I was hearing.

  “Look, lad, it’s hard, but it’s got to be done. It’s our duty to make the County safe for others, and that girl will always be a threat.”

  “But that’s not fair!” I said. “She saved your life! Back in the spring she saved my life, too. Everything she’s done has turned out all right in the end. She means well.”

  The Spook held up his hand to silence me. “Don’t waste your breath!” he commanded, his expression very stern. “I know that she stopped the burning. I know that she saved lives, including my own. But she released the Bane, and I’d rather be dead than have that foul thing loose and free to do its mischief. So follow me and let’s get it over with!”

  “But if we killed the Bane, Alice would be free! She’d have another chance!”

  The Spook’s face reddened with anger, and when he spoke there was a sharp edge of menace to his voice. “A witch who uses familiar magic is always dangerous. In time, in her maturity, far more deadly than those who use blood or bone. But usually it’s just a bat or a toad—something small and weak that gradually grows in power. But think what that girl’s done! The Bane, of all things! And she thinks the Bane is bound to her will!

  “She’s clever and reckless and there’s nothing that she wouldn’t dare. And yes, arrogant, too! But even with the Bane dead, it wouldn’t be over. If she’s allowed to grow into a woman, unchecked, she’ll be the most dangerous witch the County has ever seen! We have to deal with her now, before it’s too late. I’m the master; you’re the apprentice. Follow me and do as you’re told!”

  With that he turned his back and set off at a furious pace. With my heart down in my boots I followed him back to the house to collect the spade and measuring rod. We went directly to the eastern garden and there, less than fifty paces from the dark pit that held Bony Lizzie, I started to dig a new deep pit, eight feet deep and four feet by four square.

  It was after sunset before I’d finished it to the Spook’s satisfaction. I climbed out of the pit feeling uneasy, knowing that Bony Lizzie was in her own pit not far away.

  “That’ll do for now,” the Spook said. “Tomorrow morning, go down to the village and fetch the local mason to measure up.”

  The mason would cement a border of stones around the pit into which thirteen strong iron bars would eventually be set to prevent any chance of escape. The Spook would have to be on watch while he worked to keep him safe from the pet boggart.

  As I trudged back toward the house, my master briefly rested his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve done your duty, lad. That’s all that anybody can ask, and I’d just like to tell you that so far you’ve more than lived up to what your mam promised. . . .”

  I looked up at him in astonishment. My mam had once written him a letter saying that I’d be the best apprentice he’d ever had, but he hadn’t liked her telling him that.

  “Carry on like this,” the Spook continued, “and when the day comes for me to retire, I’ll be sure I’m leaving the County in very good hands. I hope that makes you feel a little better.”

  The Spook was always grudging with his praise and to hear him say that was something really special. I suppose he was just trying to cheer me up, but I couldn’t get the pit and Alice out of my mind and I’m afraid his praise didn’t help at all.

  That night I found it hard to sleep, so I was wide awake when it happened.

  At first I thought it was a sudden storm. There was a roar and a whoosh and the whole house seemed to shake and tremble as if buffeted by a great wind. Something struck my window with terrible force and I clearly heard glass crack. Alarmed, I knelt up on the bed and pulled back the curtains.

  The large sash window was divided into eight thick, uneven panes so you couldn’t see that much through them at the best of times, but there was a half moon and I could just make out the tops of the trees, bowing and writhing as if their trunks were being shaken by an army of angry giants. And three of my thick windowpanes were cracked. For a moment I was tempted to use the sash cord to raise the bottom half of the window so I could see what was happening. But then I thought better of it. The moon was shining, so it was unlikely to be a natural storm. Something was attacking us. Could it be the Bane? Had it found us?

  Next came a loud pounding and ripping noise from somewhere directly above my head. It sounded as if something was beating hard on the roof, thumping it with heavy fists. I heard the slates begin to fly off and crash down onto the flags that bordered the western lawn.

  I dressed quickly and rushed downstairs two steps at a time. The back door was wide open and I ran out onto the lawn, straight into the teeth of a wind so powerful that it was hardly possible to breathe, never mind take a step forward. But I did force myself on, one slow step at a time, battling to keep my eyes open as the wind pounded my face.

  By the light of the moon I could see the Spook standing halfway between the trees and the house, his black cloak flapping in the fierce wind. He had his staff held high before him as if ready to ward off a blow. It seemed to take an age to reach him.

  “What is it? What is it?” I shouted as I finally made it to his side.

  My answer came almost immediately, but not from the Spook. A terrible, menacing sound filled the air, a mixture of an angry scream and a throbbing growl that could have been heard for miles. It was the Spook’s boggart. I’d heard that sound before, in the spring, when it had prevented Bony Lizzie from chasing me into the western garden. So I knew that down there in the darkness among the trees, it was face-to-face with something that was threatening the house and gardens.

  What else could it be but the Bane?

  I stood there shivering with fear and cold, my teeth chattering and my body aching from the battering the gale was giving it. But after a few moments the wind subsided and very gradually everything became very still and quiet.

  “Back to the house,” said the Spook. “There’s nothing to be done here until morning.”

  When we reached the back door, I stood looking at the fragments of tiles that littered the flags.

  “Was it the Bane?” I asked.

  The Spook nodded. “Didn’t take long to find us, did it?” he said, shaking his head. “No doubt the girl’s to blame for that. It must have found her first. Either that or she called it.”

  “She wouldn’t do that again,” I said, trying t
o defend Alice. “Did the boggart save us?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Aye, it did for now and at what cost we’ll find out in the morning. But I wouldn’t bet on it succeeding a second time. I’ll stay on watch here,” said the Spook. “Go up to your room and get some sleep. Anything could happen tomorrow, so you’ll need all your wits about you.”

  CHAPTER XVII

  The Quisitor Arrives

  I CAME downstairs again just before dawn. The clear sky of the night was now overcast, the air perfectly still, and the lawns dusted white with the first real frost of the autumn.

  The Spook was near the back door, still standing in almost the same position as when I’d last seen him. He looked tired, and his face was as bleak and gray as the sky.

  “Well, lad,” he said wearily, “let’s go and inspect the damage.”

  I thought he meant the house, but instead he set off toward the trees in the western garden. Damage there was, certainly, but not as bad as it had sounded last night. There were some big branches down, twigs scattered across the grass, and the bench had been overturned. The Spook gestured and I helped him lift the bench and position it again.

  “It’s not that bad,” I said, trying to cheer him up, for he looked really glum and down in the mouth.

  “It’s bad enough,” he said grimly. “The Bane was always going to get stronger, but this is much faster than I expected. Much faster. It shouldn’t have been able to do this so soon. We haven’t much time left!”

  The Spook led the way back toward the house. We could see slates missing from the roof and one of the chimney pots had been toppled from the stack.

  “It’ll have to wait until we’ve time to get it fixed,” he said.

  Just then there came the sound of a bell from the kitchen. For the first time that morning the Spook gave a faint smile. He looked relieved.

  “I wasn’t sure we’d be having breakfast this morning,” he said. “Perhaps it’s not quite as bad as I thought. . . .”

  As we entered the kitchen, the first thing I noticed was that the flags between the table and the hearth were spotted with bloodstains. And the kitchen was really chilly. Then I saw why. I’d been the Spook’s apprentice for almost six months, but this was the first morning there’d been no fire burning in the grate. And on the table there were no eggs, no bacon, just one thin slice of toast each.

  The Spook touched my shoulder in warning. “Say nothing, lad. Eat it up and be grateful for what we’ve received.”

  I did as I was told, but when I’d swallowed my last mouthful of toast my belly was still rumbling.

  The Spook came to his feet. “That was an excellent breakfast. The bread was toasted to perfection,” he said to the empty air. “And thank you for everything you did last night. We’re both very grateful.”

  Mostly, the boggart didn’t show itself, but now once again it took the form of the big ginger cat. There was just the faintest of purrs, and it appeared briefly close to the hearth. However, I’d never seen it looking as it did then. Its left ear was torn and bleeding and the fur on its neck was matted with blood. But the worst thing of all was what had been done to its face. It had been blinded in one eye. Where its left eye used to be there was now a raw vertical wound.

  “It’ll never be quite the same again,” said the Spook sadly when we were outside the back door. “We should be grateful that the Bane’s still not regained its full strength or we’d have died last night. That boggart’s bought us a little time. Now we’ve got to use it before it’s too late. . . .”

  Even as he spoke, the bell began to ring down at the crossroads. Business for the Spook. With all that had happened and the danger from the Bane, I thought he’d ignore it, but I was wrong.

  “Well, lad,” he said. “Off you go and find out what’s wanted.”

  The bell stopped ringing just before I got there, but the rope was still swaying. Down among the withy trees it was gloomy as usual, but it only took me a second to realize that it wasn’t a summons to spook’s business. A girl in a black dress was waiting there.

  Alice.

  “You’re taking a big risk!” I told her, shaking my head. “You’re lucky that Mr. Gregory didn’t come down here with me.”

  Alice smiled. “Old Gregory couldn’t catch me the way he is now. Ain’t half the man he was.”

  “Don’t be too sure about that!” I said angrily. “He made me dig a pit. A pit for you. And that’s where you’ll end up if you’re not careful.”

  “Old Gregory’s strength has gone. No wonder he got you to dig it!” Alice jibed, her voice full of mockery.

  “No,” I said, “he made me dig it so that I’d accept what has to be done. That it’s my duty to put you in there.”

  Alice’s tone suddenly became sad. “Would you really do that to me, Tom?” she asked. “After all we’ve been through together? I saved you from a pit. Don’t you remember that, when Bony Lizzie wanted your bones? When Lizzie was sharpening her knife?”

  I remembered it well. But for Alice’s help I would have died that night.

  “Look, Alice, go to Pendle now before it’s too late,” I told her. “Get as far away from here as possible!”

  “Bane don’t agree. Thinks I should stay nearby a while longer, he does.”

  “The Bane’s an it, not a he!” I said, irritated by what Alice was saying.

  “No, Tom, he ain’t,” said Alice. “Sniffed him out, I did, and he’s a man-thing for certain!”

  “The Bane attacked the Spook’s house last night. It could have killed us. Did you send it?”

  Alice shook her head in a firm denial. “That ain’t nothing to do with me, Tom. I swear it. We talked, that’s all, and he told me things.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to have any more dealings with it!” I said, hardly able to believe what she was saying.

  “I’ve tried hard, Tom, I really have. But he comes and whispers things to me. Comes to me in the dark, he does, when I’m trying to sleep. He even talks to me in my dreams. He promises me things.”

  “What sort of things?”

  “It ain’t easy, Tom. It’s getting colder at nights. The weather’s drawing in. Bane said I could have a house with a big fireplace and lots of coal and wood and that I’d never want for anything. He said I could have nice clothes, too, so that people wouldn’t look down their noses at me like they do now, thinking I’m something that’s just crawled out of a hedge.”

  “Don’t listen to it, Alice. You’ve got to try harder!”

  “Good job I do listen to him sometimes,” Alice said, a strange half smile on her face, “otherwise you’d be really sorry. I know something, see. Something that might save Old Gregory’s life as well as yours.”

  “Tell me,” I urged.

  “Not sure why I should, seeing as you’re plotting for me to spend the rest of my days in a pit!”

  “That’s not fair, Alice.”

  “I’ll help you again, I will. But I wonder if you’d do the same for me . . . ?”

  She paused and gave me a sad smile. “You see, the Quisitor’s on his way up here to Chipenden. Burned his hands in that fire, that’s all, and now he wants revenge. He knows Old Gregory lives somewhere nearby and he’s coming with armed men and dogs. Big bloodhounds, they are, with big teeth. He’ll be here by noon at the latest. So go and tell Old Gregory what I said. Don’t expect he’ll say thanks, though.”

  “I’ll go and tell him,” I said, and set off right away, running up the hill toward the house. As I ran, I realized that I hadn’t thanked Alice, but how could I thank her for using the dark to help us?

  The Spook was waiting just inside the back door. “Well, lad,” he said, “get your breath back first. I can tell from your face you’re bringing bad news.”

  “The Quisitor’s on his way here,” I said. “He’s found out that we live near Chipenden!”

  “And who told you this?” asked the Spook, scratching at his beard.

  “Alice. She said he’
ll be here by noon. The Bane told her . . .”

  The Spook sighed deeply. “Well, we’d better get away as soon as possible. First of all, you go down to the village and let the butcher know we’re heading north over the fells to Caster and won’t be back for some time. Go into the grocer’s and tell him the same and say that we won’t need any provisions next week.”

  I ran down into the village and did exactly what he’d told me. When I got back, the Spook was already waiting at the door, ready to set off. He handed me his bag.

  “Are we going south?” I asked.

  The Spook shook his head. “No, lad, we’re heading north as I said. We need to get to Heysham and, if we’re lucky, speak to the ghost of Naze.”

  “But we’ve told everyone the way we’re going. Why didn’t I pretend we were heading south?”

  “Because I’m hoping the Quisitor will pay a visit to the village on his way up here. Then, instead of searching for this house, he’ll head north and the hounds will pick up our trail. We’ve got to draw them away from the house. Some of the books in my library are irreplaceable. If he comes here, his men might loot this place and maybe burn it to the ground. No, I can’t risk anything happening to my books.”

  “But what about the boggart? Won’t it guard the house and gardens? How can they even get in without the risk of being torn to pieces? Or is it too weak now?”

  The Spook sighed and stared down at his boots. “No, it’s still got strength enough to deal with the Quisitor and his men, but I don’t want unnecessary deaths on my conscience. And even if it killed those who entered, some might get away. What more proof would they need then that I deserve to burn? They’d come back with an army. There’d be no end to it. No peace until the end of my days. I’d have to flee the County.”

  “But won’t they catch us anyway?”

  “No, lad. Not if we take the route over the fells. They won’t be able to use their horses, and we’ll have a good few hours’ start. We have the advantage. We know the County well, but the Quisitor’s men are outsiders. Anyway, let’s get started. We’ve wasted enough time already!”