Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co - The Whispering Skull

other-light

.

Sight

The psychic ability to see

apparitions

and other ghostly phenomena, such as

death-glows

. One of the three main varieties of psychic

Talent

.

Silver

An important and potent

defence

against

ghosts

. Worn by many people as

wards

in the form of jewellery. Agents use it to coat their

rapiers

, and as a crucial component of their

seals

.

Silver-glass

A special ‘ghost-proof’ glass used to encase

Sources

.

Source

The object or place through which a

ghost

enters the world.

Spectre

fn2

The most commonly encountered

Type Two ghost

. A Spectre always forms a clear, detailed

apparition

, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Spectres are less nebulous than

Phantasms

and less hideous than

Wraiths

, but equally varied in behaviour. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living – perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.

Stalker

fn1

A

Type One ghost

that seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at

Listening

often detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.

Stone Knocker

fn1

A desperately uninteresting

Type One ghost

, which does precious little apart from tap.

Talent

The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect

ghosts

. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the

night watch

. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the

agencies

. The three main categories of Talent are

Sight

,

Listening

and

Touch

.

Tom O’Shadows

fn1

A London term for a

Lurker

or

Shade

that lingers in doorways, arches or alleyways. An everyday, urban

ghost

.

Touch

The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or a supernatural

manifestation

. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of

Talent

.

Type One

The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of

ghost

. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behaviour. Commonly encountered examples include:

Shades

,

Lurkers

and

Stalkers

. See also

Cold Maiden

,

Floating Bride

,

Glimmer, Pale Stench, Stone Knocker

and

Tom O’Shadows

.

Type Two

The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of

ghost

. Type Twos are stronger than

Type Ones

, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are:

Spectres

,

Phantasms

and

Wraiths

. See also

Dark Spectre

,

Fetch

,

Limbless

,

Poltergeist

,

Raw-bones

and

Shining Boy

.

Type Three

A very rare grade of

ghost

, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. Allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.

Visitor

A

ghost

.

Ward

An object, usually of

iron

or

silver

, used to keep

ghosts

away. Small wards may be worn as jewellery on the person; larger ones, hung up around the house, are often equally decorative.

Water, running

It was observed in ancient times that

ghosts

dislike crossing running water. In modern Britain this knowledge is sometimes used against them. In central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protects the main shopping district. On a smaller scale, some house-owners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.

Wraith

fn2

A dangerous

Type Two ghost

. Wraiths are similar to

Spectres

in strength and patterns of behaviour, but are far more horrible to look at. Their

apparitions

show the deceased in his or her dead state: gaunt and shrunken, horribly thin, sometimes rotten and wormy. Wraiths often appear as skeletons. They radiate a powerful

ghost-lock

. See also

Gallows Wraith

,

Raw-bones

.

About the Author

Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford in 1970. After studying English Literature at York University, he moved to London, where he worked as an editor in a publishing firm. He is the author of the best-selling BARTIMAEUS sequence, which is published in 35 languages and has sold 6 million copies worldwide. As well as four other novels: HEROES OF THE VALLEY, THE LAST SIEGE, THE LEAP and BURIED FIRE, Jonathan is now writing a chilling new series called LOCKWOOD & CO. He lives in Hertfordshire with his family.

Also by Jonathan Stroud

Buried Fire

The Leap

The Last Siege

Heroes of the Valley

The Bartimaeus series

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Golem’s Eye

Ptolemy’s Gate

The Ring of Solomon

The Amulet of Samarkand: Graphic Novel

Lockwood & Co.

The Screaming Staircase

www. lockwoodbooks.co.uk

www. jonathanstroud.com

LOCKWOOD & CO.: THE WHISPERING SKULL

AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 15870 6

Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,

an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK

A Penguin Random House Company

This ebook edition published 2014

Copyright © Jonathan Stroud, 2014