Joseph Delaney - The Spook's Mistake

'Then let's hope your best is good enough. Now listen well while I explain what's about to happen. Water witches will attack, surging up from the marsh below. So use your staff — but keep your chain in reserve. It may make all the difference. We must face the blood-filled eye of Morwena, but it can be used against only one enemy at a time. If she comes at me, then use your chain against her. Until then, hold it in reserve. Fight the others with your staff. Understand?'

I nodded.

'Good. The second thing to our advantage is that Morwena will be reluctant to venture up onto this hill, where the ground is relatively dry and firm underfoot. So hopefully she'll hang back.'

Once again I nodded, nerves now beginning to overtake me. I could feel a trembling in my knees and hands, and butterflies in my stomach. I took a deep breath and fought to control myself. I needed a steady left hand to cast the silver chain.

The first attack took me completely by surprise. But for the slap of clawed, webbed feet on the grass, it was silent and terrifyingly fast. A water witch ran straight out of the mist towards Grimalkin, claws at the ready, dank hair streaming behind her, face contorted into a mask of hatred.

But Grimalkin was even quicker. She pulled a knife from her belt and hurled it straight at her attacker. I heard a soft thud as it buried itself in the witch's chest. She fell back with a groan and slid down the slope to be enveloped by the mist.

Now they attacked in force. I would have been hard pressed to deal with just one, such was their speed and ferocity. Up out of the mist they surged — six or seven of them in all — shrieking as they came, talons outstretched, faces twisted in fury, some wielding short blades. Only when the nearest were no more than five paces away did I remember the retractable blade in my rowan staff. I found the recess and pressed, hearing a satisfying click as the blade emerged and locked into position.

I thrust, parried and turned again and again, spinning on my heels to keep them at bay, sweat running down my face and into my eyes as I used all the skills that Arkwright had taught me. But despite my best efforts, I would quickly have been overwhelmed but for Grimalkin. Now I saw why the witch assassin was, in combat, the most feared of all the Pendle witches.

Each deadly economical movement of her body was a killing stroke. Each blade slipped from a leather sheath found a new resting place in the flesh of an enemy. Talon against talon, blade against blade, she was matchless. She spun and slew, a wheel of death, cutting down those who opposed us until seven dead bodies lay on the slope beside us.

Then she sucked in a deep breath and remained absolutely still, as if listening, before placing her left hand lightly upon my shoulder and leaning towards me.

'There are more emerging from the marsh now,' she whispered, her mouth very close to my ear. 'And the Fiend's daughter is with them. Remember what I said. Use your chain against her. Everything depends on that. Miss and we're both finished!'

A lone witch attacked from the mist. Twice Grimalkin hurled blades and found a target before the two collided in a fury of tangled limbs, gouging fingers and sharp teeth. Neither witch uttered a sound as they rolled away from me in the silent fury of combat, down the hill and into the mist.

Suddenly I was alone on the hillside, listening to the hammering of my own heart. Should I go down and help Grimalkin? What if other witches had now set upon her? But before I could make a decision it was my own turn to come under attack. Another water witch stepped out of the mist. She didn't race towards me at speed like the others but padded softly up the hill, step by careful step. Her mouth gaped wide to reveal four immense yellow-green fangs. In appearance she was very similar to Morwena: the triangular bone that served as a nose made me feel as if I was facing something more dead than alive. But despite her slow, careful advance, I was still mindful of the speed she was capable of. I knew she would attempt to hook one of her talons into my flesh, and above all I feared the upward sweep that would attempt to pierce my upper throat and wrap her fingers around my teeth, a grip from which it would be impossible to break free.

The witch attacked suddenly; she was fast but I matched her, bringing my staff across in a short arc that missed her left cheek by less than an inch. She snarled and a low growl of anger rose up in her throat. But I jabbed at her again and she took a step backward. Now I was on the offensive and each careful, calculated jab drove her down the hillside, closer to the edge of the thick mist.

Then, too late, I guessed what she intended — to drag me into the mist and marsh, where she'd have the advantage.

She'd just been playing with me. With her right hand she struck out like a snake. Two fingers hooked up towards my throat, the talons extended. I tried to twist away but felt a glancing blow and then I was being tugged forward. I lost my balance and rolled down the slope, my staff flying out of my hands. The witch rolled with me but then we broke apart and I felt no pain in my throat or jaw. She'd missed and hooked her talon into the collar of my sheepskin jacket, and now the fall had torn it free.

I rose up onto my knees and glanced about me. I hadn't reached the bottom of the slope but the witch had rolled much further. The mist was thinner now and I could make out my staff. It was out of reach, but four paces would see me armed again. Then I glanced to my right and saw something that made my blood run cold. Grimalkin was standing over the body of a witch she'd slain, but she was rooted to the spot, completely immobile, staring at Morwena, who was moving up the slope towards her, talons extended. I stood up and reached into my pocket for my chain, easing it around my left wrist.

It was clear that Grimalkin was in thrall to that blood-filled eye. Within moments she would be dead. If I missed, then Morwena would kill Grimalkin and turn her attention to me.

This was the moment of truth. Would all those months of training in the Spook's garden pay off? This was far more difficult than casting towards the practice post. Nerves and fear played a significant part. I'd sometimes used the chain successfully against witches; but I'd often failed too. The enormity of what depended upon this darkened my mind with doubts. If I missed, it was over. And I would only get one chance!

The first step was to believe I could do it. Think positively! The Spook had told me that the key to controlling the body was first to control the mind. So I did just that. I raised my left arm, sucked in a deep breath and held it.

I concentrated, staring hard at my target, Morwena, who was almost within arm's length of Grimalkin now. Time seemed to slow. Everything became utterly silent. Morwena was no longer moving. I wasn't breathing. Even my own heart seemed to have stopped.

I cracked the silver chain and cast it towards the witch. It formed a perfect spiral in the air, shimmering in the moonlight; it seemed to be the only thing moving. It fell over her, tightening itself against her teeth and arms so that she toppled to her knees. Sound rushed back into my ears. I breathed out and heard Grimalkin let out her own great sigh of relief before easing a long blade from her belt and advancing purposefully towards her enemy.

Concentrating on casting the silver chain at Morwena, I'd neglected the threat to myself. Suddenly a water witch was beside me, her taloned finger hooking up towards my jaw. Faster than I could ever have believed, my left arm parried the blow, but we locked together and fell hard before rolling further down the hill.

I was immediately fighting for my life again. Witches are physically strong, and in close combat even a grown man would be in serious trouble. I fought, punched and struggled but she gripped me tightly and began to drag me towards the water. I'd kept my promise to Grimalkin and used my chain against Morwena. But in doing so, I'd lost the chance to retrieve my staff, the only thing that gave me a fighting chance against a witch such as this. The only other weapons at my disposal were salt and iron but my arms were pinned to my sides.