After about twenty minutes I heard the sound of horses’ hooves from behind the house and saw Cobden driving his cart down to the gates. They didn’t open by themselves on this occasion, and he had to climb down and unfasten them. Outside he was soon joined by Constable Barnes, who was followed by the two bailiffs on foot. After the men jumped up into the cart, the party set off for Malkin Tower without so much as a glance toward the house. No doubt Cobden had already been briefed on what to tell the constable and Nowell. As far as they were concerned, both Father Stocks and I were ill.
As I watched them ride away into the distance, I began to wonder about the wisdom of going back to Downham. The Spook and Alice would have expected us to return with news. By now, after a whole day and night without word of what was happening, perhaps they’d set off to investigate and might be on their way already. It really wasn’t such a bad thing, because both the Spook and Alice knew Pendle district well and would take the direct route to Read Hall, passing to the west of the hill, the way I’d come with Father Stocks. More than likely, I would meet them on the way.
I eased up the sash window and climbed out feet first, turning so that I was facing back toward the wall. I gripped the window ledge firmly and lowered myself to the full extent of my arms, then transferred my left hand to the ivy, pushing my fingers deep into it, reassured by the feel of thick, woody stems. The ivy held my weight, but I made a nervous descent, fearful of what could be waiting for me at the bottom. I took more than a few risks in my eagerness to get to the ground as quickly as possible, but moments later I was standing on the pebbles and immediately set off running down to the gates. I glanced back once or twice and was relieved to see that there were no signs of pursuit. Once beyond the grounds of Read Hall, I headed north across the laund, running hard toward Downham.
As the crow flies, the distance between Read Hall and Downham is probably no more than five or six miles, but the difficult hilly terrain meant it was actually quite a bit farther. I had to get there and back by nightfall, and needed to run at least part of the way. It seemed sensible to complete the first journey as quickly as possible, thus making it easier to return at a more leisurely pace, because by then I’d be tired.
After the first two miles or so I slowed down to a fast walking pace. I was making good time, and just after what I judged to be the halfway point, I allowed myself a five-minute rest and quenched my thirst with the cool water from a stream. But when I set off walking again, it seemed much harder to make progress. Fasting is a good idea when facing the dark, but it doesn’t help when real exertion is required, and I hadn’t eaten since the previous morning’s breakfast of cold mutton. I felt weak and started to make heavy weather of it. Even so, I thought of poor Father Stocks and gritted my teeth, forcing myself to run another mile before settling down once more to a brisk walking pace. I was grateful for the cloud cover, which kept the heat of the sun from my head.
I kept hoping that I would meet the Spook and Alice, but saw no sign of them at all. When I reached the outskirts of Downham, despite all my attempts at speed, it was already midafternoon, and I wasn’t relishing the prospect of the return journey.
But when I arrived in Downham, to my dismay, the Spook wasn’t there.
CHAPTER XI
Thief and Murderer
ALICE came out to meet me at the church gate. As I approached, I saw her welcoming smile start to fade. She’d read the expression on my face and knew there was trouble.
“You all right, Tom?”
“Is Mr. Gregory here?” I asked.
“No. Your brother James arrived last night, and they went off together first thing this morning.”
“What for? Did they say when they’d be back?”
“Old Gregory never tells me much, does he? Talked to James but mostly made sure I was well out of earshot. Still doesn’t trust me and perhaps he never will. As for when he’ll be back, he didn’t say. But I’m sure he’ll be back before nightfall. He just said that you were to wait here until he returned.”
“I can’t do that. Father Stocks is in danger,” I told her. “Soon after nightfall, if help doesn’t reach him, he’ll be dead. I came to fetch the Spook, but now I’ll have to go back alone and see what I can do.”
“Not alone, Tom,” Alice said. “Where you go, I go. Tell me all about it. . . .”
I kept my story brief, giving her the bare bones of the situation as we walked quickly past the church and between the gravestones toward the cottage. Alice didn’t say much, but she looked horrified when I told her about Tibb drinking Father Stocks’s blood. At my mention of Wurmalde, a look of puzzlement flickered across her face.
When I’d finished, she gave a sigh. “Just gets worse and worse, it does. I’ve something to tell you as well—”
At that moment we reached the house. “Save it for the journey,” I told her. “We’ll talk as we walk.”
Wasting no time, I collected my rowan staff. My bag would have been an encumbrance, so I left it behind, but I put a handful of salt in my right breeches pocket and iron filings in my left. In addition I tied my silver chain around my waist under my shirt. Once again, I left off my cloak: It was dangerous in Pendle to signal that you were a spook’s apprentice.
Next I wrote a short note for the Spook to tell him what had happened.
Dear Mr. Gregory,
Father Stocks is in great danger at Read Hall. Please follow me there just as quickly as you can. Bring James as well. We’ll need all the help we can get.
Tibb has drunk Father Stocks’s blood and left him weak and close to death. The creature will feed again after dark, and if I don’t get back and help, he will certainly die. Beware Mistress Wurmalde, the housekeeper. She’s a witch who is trying to unite all three covens. She comes from Greece and is an old enemy of Mam’s.
Your apprentice, Tom
P.S. Some of Magistrate Nowell’s servants seem to be working for Wurmalde. Trust nobody.
That done, I drank a cupful of water and had a nibble of cheese. I took more cheese with me for the journey, and within twenty minutes of arriving at Downham I was on the road again. But this time I wasn’t alone.
At first we walked in silence, at a very fast pace, Alice just in the lead; she recognized the urgency of getting back to Read Hall before dark. After we’d covered about a third of the distance, I began to feel very tired but forced myself to keep going by imagining Tibb on the ceiling, about to drop down onto Father Stocks’s chest. It was too horrible to think about—I had to get him away from Read Hall before that happened.
Nevertheless, almost without being aware of it, we did begin to slow. It was Alice. She was walking slightly behind me now, breathing heavily, and seemed to be having difficulty keeping up. I turned to see what was the matter and noticed that she looked pale and weary.
“What’s wrong, Alice?” I asked her, coming to a halt. “You don’t look well—”
Alice fell to her knees and suddenly cried out in pain, then clutched at her throat and started to choke.
“Can’t breathe properly,” she gasped. “Feels like someone’s squeezing my windpipe!”
For a moment I panicked, not knowing what I could do to help, but gradually Alice’s breathing returned to normal and she sat down wearily on the grass.
“It’s Mab Mouldheel up to her tricks. Using that lock of hair against me, she is. She’s been doing it all day. But don’t worry, it’s starting to pass. Let’s rest for ten minutes and I’ll feel better. Besides, I’ve something to tell you. Something for you to think about.”
Still concerned about Father Stocks, I considered going on ahead and asking Alice to catch up when she felt better. But it seemed certain that we’d be back well before sunset and I was tired as well, so I told myself that ten minutes wouldn’t matter. Besides, I was intrigued. What was she going to say?
We sat ourselves down on a grassy slope with our backs to the hill. No sooner had I taken the weight off my legs than Alice began.
“
Been talking to Mab, I have. Wants me to pass on a message to you—”
“What were you doing talking to her?” I demanded.
“Wouldn’t choose to speak to her, would I? Came looking for me, she did. It was this morning, not long after Old Gregory had left. I heard someone shouting my name from the other side of the wall and went out. It was Mab. She couldn’t climb over to this side because the house is set in the church grounds. Holy ground, ain’t it? Mab can’t set foot there. Anyway, she wanted me to tell you this. She wants the trunks for herself. In return, she’ll guide you into Malkin Tower and help you rescue Jack and his family.”
I looked at Alice in astonishment. “Do you think she can do that?”
“Yes, and what’s more I think she’s fond of you. More than a bit keen, I’d say!”
“Don’t be daft,” I said. “She’s a malevolent witch. We’re natural enemies.”
“Stranger things have happened,” teased Alice.
“Anyway,” I said, quickly changing the subject, “how would she get me inside the tower?”
“There’s a tunnel. Leads straight into the dungeons.”
“But why do we need Mab to guide us, Alice? You’re a Deane and also a Malkin on your mother’s side. Surely you know where the tunnel entrance is?”
Alice shook her head. “I’ve been in the tower a few times, but only above ground. Know that part well enough, but only Anne Malkin, their coven leader, knows where the actual entrance is. It’s a secret passed down from generation to generation. Only one living person is ever given that knowledge! She’d only be allowed to show it to others if the whole coven was in mortal danger and they needed to get into the tower secretly and take refuge there.”
“So how does Mab know? Is this some sort of trick? Maybe she’s only pretending to know.”
“No, Tom, this is no trick. Remember that night when you saved me from the Mouldheels and we met Dead Maggie in the wood? Hungry for blood, Maggie was, and set off to meet ’em. Trouble is, there were too many and they got the better of her. Maggie was once the leader of the coven, so she knows where the entrance is. Got the secret from her, they did. Don’t know how, but it wouldn’t have been pleasant. Wouldn’t talk easily, our Maggie, so they must have hurt her pretty bad. Mab said she’d hurt me, too, if I didn’t talk you round. Got my lock of hair, ain’t she. I’m starting to feel unwell again—think she might be doing something to it now, just so I know what’s what. And that’s part of the bargain. Offer to give her the trunks and keys, and she’ll show you the entrance to the tunnel and help you rescue your family. Not only that—she’ll return my lock of hair. Be more use to you when I get that back. At the moment I’m useless. Just a shadow of myself, I am.”
It seemed simple. All I had to do was surrender the trunks and I’d be given a chance to get Jack, Ellie, and Mary out—perhaps before midnight, before Wurmalde could carry out her threat. But, in a way, nothing had changed.
Alice did look ill. Somehow we had to get that lock of hair back from Mab, but not this way. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Alice, but I just can’t do it. As I told you, Wurmalde says she’ll swap Jack and his family for the keys, too. But whether I give them to Wurmalde or Mab, I’d still have surrendered them to a witch. It would still help the dark and place the County in danger.”
“This way is better, though, ain’t it? Can you trust Wurmalde? Giving her the keys is easy—but what guarantee is there that you’ll get your family back safely in return? Mab Mouldheel prides herself on always keeping her word. Once the bargain’s made, she’ll show us the way in person. She’ll guide us through to the dungeons because the trunks will be nearby. She’ll be in as much danger as us. Be a terrible thing for her, to be caught by the Malkins, so she needs to get in and out safely. We’ll be with her every step of the way. Not only that—if she’s helping us, maybe she won’t join up with the Malkins and Deanes. We’ll be stopping the covens uniting and releasing the Fiend as well as rescuing your family.”
“It’s still giving her the trunks, though. I can’t do that—”
“Let me try to talk her round. Let’s see if she’ll do it for just one trunk. If she agrees to that and is prepared to give me back my lock of hair before we enter the tunnel, then we’re laughing, ain’t we? Just one trunk can’t do that much harm.”
“It’s still one trunk too many. Mam wanted me to have them all, and it must be for an important reason. The last thing she’d want is for me to give them to the dark!”
“No, Tom, the last thing she’d want is for Jack and his family to die!”
“I’m not even sure about that, Alice,” I said sadly. “However much it hurts, there are more people than just immediate family to consider. There’s the County and the world beyond that.”
“Then we’ll do it your way!” Alice snapped. “We’ll say that Mab can have the trunks in order to get to your family, but once we’re inside the tower it’ll be easy enough to get the better of her. Came up on me unawares, the Mouldheels did. And there were a lot of ’em. If it’s just me and Mab, I’ll sort her out for sure. Just see if I don’t.”
“But she’s got a lock of your hair, Alice. You said yourself you’re not as strong as you should be.”
“I’ve got you, though, haven’t I? Look, once we’re inside the tower, the two of us can overpower Mab. Then we’ll rescue your family before midnight, and once the soldiers have breached the wall we’ll get your trunks back.”
I thought about it for a bit, then nodded. “I’m not sure what other choice we have, though I doubt whether a few soldiers will be a match for the Malkins.”
“You may be right, Tom. We may need another plan for getting hold of those trunks, but for rescuing your family this is the best plan we have.”
“I know you’re right,” I said, “but I feel uncomfortable with betraying Mab like that.”
“Mab? You can’t mean that! Just think what you’re saying. Do you think she felt guilty when she was planning to kill me the other night? Or when she was trying to make you hers, or when she tortured me all day today with my hair? You’re turning soft, Tom, like Old Gregory. Pretty girl smiles at you and your brain goes soft.”
“I’m just saying it isn’t right to break a promise. My dad taught me that.”
“He didn’t mean when you were dealing with a witch, though. Old Gregory probably wouldn’t like our plan, but then he’s never around when we need him these days. If he was, we wouldn’t be having to rescue Father Stocks and your family all by ourselves.”
Her mention of Father Stocks reminded me again of the great danger he was in and the terrifying ordeal we were about to face at Read Hall. “Alice,” I said, “something else is puzzling me. Who exactly is Wurmalde? She claims to come from the same land as Mam but talks as if she’s part of the covens. As if she speaks for them.”
Alice frowned. “Never even heard of her before today.”
“But you were in Pendle until two years ago. Wurmalde’s been in Roger Nowell’s employment longer than that.”
“Nowell’s a magistrate. Ain’t likely I’d go near his house. Not stupid, am I? Nor any of my family either. As for his housekeeper—what would anyone know about her?”
“Well,” I said, “she’s a mystery all right, but we’ve delayed long enough now, so let’s press on toward Read. Feeling any better, or shall I go on ahead at a faster pace?”
“I’ll go as fast as I can. If I can’t keep up, you’d best go on ahead.”
Our pace wasn’t quite as fast as before, but Alice did manage to keep up and we came within sight of Read Hall with over an hour of daylight still remaining. But now we had a problem—how to get inside unseen.
A creature of the dark, Tibb was not yet a threat, but there were still two risks. Wurmalde wouldn’t be able to sniff out either Alice or me, but she might glimpse us from a window. There were also the servants to worry about. Some might be unaware of what was going on behind the magistrate’s back, but if Cobden had returned fr
om Malkin Tower, he’d certainly pose a danger. I couldn’t afford to simply walk down the wide carriageway.
“I think the best chance of getting inside unseen is to approach from the shrubbery at the side. I can use my key to enter by the tradesmen’s door.”
Alice nodded her agreement, so we circled around and approached from the west, moving through the bushes and trees until we were close to the side of the house, only ten or twenty paces from the door.
“We need to be very careful here,” I told Alice. “I think it’s probably best if I go in alone.”
“No, Tom. Ain’t right. Need me, you do,” Alice said, her voice indignant. “Two of us together have more chance.”
“Not this time, Alice. This is risky. You stay hidden, and if I get caught, at least I’ll know there’ll be somebody on the outside to help. If the worst came to the worst, you could come in after me.”
“Then give me your key!”
“I need it for the door—”
“’Course you do! But once you get it open, throw it back onto the lawn. I’ll come and pick it up once you’re inside.”
“You’d better take my staff as well,” I told her. Father Stocks would still be weak, and I’d have to help him down the stairs. My staff would be an encumbrance. It was still light, so I hoped I wouldn’t have to face Tibb, and the chain would be enough to deal with Wurmalde. If I missed her, I still had salt and iron to fall back on.
Alice nodded but grimaced as I handed it to her. She didn’t like the touch of rowan wood.
I walked cautiously forward across the grass. I halted close to the door and put my ear against the wood. I could hear nothing, so I inserted the key and turned it very slowly. There was a faint click as the lock yielded. Before I opened the door, I held the key high so that Alice could see what I was doing and threw it back toward the line of bushes. It was a good shot and it fell on the lawn, less than a pace away from where she was hiding. That done, I eased open the door very carefully and stepped inside. Once I’d closed it behind me, it locked itself shut. I waited, rooted to the spot for at least a minute, all the while listening for danger.
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