Joseph Delaney - The Spook's Mistake

My master met her with equal speed. He spun, bringing his staff in a rapid arc from left to right. It missed Morwena's throat by a hair's breadth, and with a terrible shriek of anger she flopped back into the water less than gracefully, creating a huge splash.

The Spook froze, looking down into the water. Then, with his right hand, he reached up and tugged his hood up, forward and down so that it shielded his eyes. He must have seen the pinned eye and realized who he was dealing with. Without eye-contact Morwena would not be able to use her bloodeye against him. Nonetheless he would be fighting 'blind'.

He waited, immobile, and I watched anxiously as the last ripple erased itself from the surface of the canal, which became as still as glass. Suddenly Morwena surged from the water again, this second attack even more sudden than the first, and then landed on the very edge of the wharf, her webbed feet slapping down hard against the wooden boards. Her bloodeye was now open, its baleful red fire directed at the Spook. But without looking up, he stabbed towards her legs and she was forced to retreat.

Immediately she struck at him with her left hand, the claws raking towards his shoulder, but he stepped away just in time. Then, as she moved the other way, he flicked his staff from his left to his right hand and jabbed towards her hard and fast. It was the same manoeuvre he'd made me practise against the dead tree in his garden — the one that had saved my life in the summer when I'd used it successfully against Grimalkin.

He executed it perfectly and the tip of his blade speared Morwena in the side. She let out a cry of anguish but leaped away quickly, somersaulting back into the water. The Spook waited a long time but she didn't attack again.

Only then did he come swiftly to my side, lean forward and tug the scarf downwards to free my mouth.

'Alice is tied up in the hold!' I gasped. 'Mr Gilbert is dead. And that was Morwena who attacked you from the water! The Fiend's own daughter! And there could be other water witches on their way!'

'Calm yourself, lad,' the Spook said. 'I'll have you free in a moment. '

That said, he used the staff's blade to cut through my bonds. As I came slowly to my feet, rubbing my wrists to restore the circulation, my master pointed at the knife of one of his assailants, which was lying on the quayside.

'Free her while I stand guard,' he said.

We stepped onto the barge and, staff at the ready, the Spook stood resolutely beside me while I slid back the hatch. Alice stared up at me from below. She was bound and gagged and they'd left her by the dead body of the bargeman.

'The Fiend was here. He's taken Mr Gilbert's shape,' I told my master.

'Well, there's nothing we can do for the poor man now,' said the Spook, shaking his head sadly. 'We'll have to leave him for others to find and bury. But cut the girl free. We need to be away from here as quickly as possible. The witch isn't badly hurt. No doubt she'll be getting ready to try again.'

I could feel Alice trembling as I cut her bonds and helped her from the hold. She didn't say a word and her eyes were wide with fear. It seemed that the proximity of the Fiend had terrified her even more than it had me.

Once the three of us were standing on the quay, the Spook pointed north, then led us out of the warehouse, walking so fast that I struggled to keep up.

'Aren't we heading back to Chipenden?' I asked.

'No, we're not, lad. Not enough time to get there if Morwena gives chase. We're off to poor Bill Arkwright's house first. It's the nearest refuge. But the sooner we get away from this canal bank, the better,' he said, eyeing the water warily.

'I know a quicker route to the mill,' volunteered Alice. 'I used to live near there with Bony Lizzie. We need to cross the canal and then keep well to the west.'

'Then lead on, girl,' said the Spook.

So we crossed the first bridge, left the towpath and headed north through the darkness of the narrow cobbled streets. Caster, with its castle and dungeons, was no place for those who followed our trade; fortunately there were few people about to see our passing. At last, with a sense of relief, we left the city behind us and followed Alice across the countryside, using only the light of the stars and the pale halfmoon. Eventually, skirting the edge of Monastery Marsh, we reached the mill garden and crossed the salt moat.

'How long since salt was last added?' asked the Spook. They were the first words that anybody had spoken since we left the canal back in Caster.

'I did it only yesterday,' I told him.

As we entered the willow garden, there came a warning growl and Claw bounded up. I reached down and patted her head and she followed at my heels.

'This dog saved my life,' I said. Neither the Spook nor Alice commented, and as we reached the door, Claw went her own way down the side of the house towards the waterwheel. It was better to have her outside anyway. That way she would give warning if a witch approached the garden.

Soon we were in the mill kitchen and, wasting no time, I filled the stove with wood and got it alight. The Spook and Alice sat and watched me work. My master was deep in thought. Alice still looked terrified.

'Shall I make us some early breakfast?' I asked.

My master shook his head firmly. 'Better not, lad. We could be facing the dark at any time and need to fast.

But no doubt the girl would like something.'

Alice shook her head even more vigorously than the Spook. 'I'm not hungry,' she said flatly.

'Well, in that case, we need to try to make some sense of what's been going on. I smelled a rat from the very first,' asserted the Spook. 'As soon as I got back to Chipenden, I read Alice's note as well as your previous letter. But I was just about to set off for the mill when the bell rang at the crossroads. It was the village smith — someone had pushed a letter under his door with my name on it. It was marked urgent. It was in your handwriting, lad, but even more of a shaky scrawl than usual, as if you'd written it in a hurry. It said that you were in serious trouble and needed help. From what, it didn't specify; it simply gave the address of that warehouse in Caster.

'Well, I knew you couldn't be in two places at once, but as Caster is on the way to the mill, I went there first. I was prepared for trouble and certainly found it. But there's one thing still bothering me. How did the girl know you were in danger? How did you get word to her?'

The Spook stared at me hard and I knew I couldn't avoid telling him the truth. So I took a deep breath. 'I used a mirror,' I said, bowing my head, unable to meet his gaze.

'What did you say, lad?' the Spook said, his voice dangerously low. 'Did I just hear you right? A mirror? A mirror.?'

'It was the only way I could contact you!' I blurted out. 'I was desperate. Mr Arkwright was dead, murdered by Morwena, and I knew she'd be coming for me next. I needed you. I couldn't face her alone—'

My master cut me short. 'I knew I should never have let a Deane stay with us!' he said angrily, glaring at Alice. 'She's led you into bad ways. Using a tool of the dark like that makes you vulnerable. As soon as you used that mirror the Fiend would have known where you were; anything you communicated would instantly have been known to him.'

'I didn't know that,' I said lamely.

'No? Well, you certainly know it now. And as for you, girl,' he went on, standing up and staring hard at Alice, 'you're unusually quiet. Nothing to say for yourself?'

In response Alice covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

'Being close to the Fiend scared her badly,' I said. 'I've never seen her so shaken.'

'Well, lad, you know what her problem is, don't you?'

I shook my head. I didn't know what he meant.