The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney Read Free Book Online

through, to find the witch assassin
waiting there with her back to the old oak.
    Her arms were at her sides, but as usual her lithe
body was criss-crossed with leather straps and sheaths
holding deadly weapons: blades, hooks and the scary
scissors she used to snip the flesh and bone of her
enemies.
    Her black-painted lips grinned to reveal the sharp
teeth within; they had been filed to deadly points. But
despite all that, she had a kind of wild beauty about
her; the grace and aura of a natural predator.
    'Well, child, we meet again,' she said. 'When we last
talked, I promised you a gift to mark your age.'
    In Pendle, she'd told me, on the Walpurgis Night
sabbath following his fourteenth birthday, the boy
child of a witch clan became a man. I'd turned fourteen
on August the third last year, and Walpurgis Night had
already passed. She'd promised me something special
to mark the occasion, and she'd asked me to go to
Pendle to get it. There'd been little chance of that. I
hardly thought the Spook would have approved of me
accepting a gift from a witch!
    'Are you ready to receive it now, child?' Grimalkin
asked me.
    'It depends what it is,' I said, trying to keep my voice
as friendly and polite as possible despite what I felt
inside.
    She nodded, leaned away from the tree and took a
step towards me. Her eyes stared hard into mine and I
suddenly felt very nervous and vulnerable.
    She smiled. 'It may help if I tell you that your mother
agrees that I should do this. If you don't believe me,
then ask her.'
    Grimalkin didn't lie – she lived by a strict code of
honour. But was my mam in contact with all the
witches in Pendle? I wondered. Bit by bit, it seemed,
everything I believed in, everything my master had
taught me, was unravelling. What Mam wanted for me
seemed to be constantly clashing with the wishes of
the Spook. I had another decision to make, and whatever
I decided, one of the two would be unhappy. But
once again I decided that Mam's needs had to take
precedence over those of my master, so I gave
Grimalkin a brief nod and agreed to accept the gift.
    'Here, child. It's a blade . . .' She held out a leather
pouch. 'Take it.'
    While she watched, I unwrapped it to reveal the
short dagger within. I saw then that the pouch was
actually a sheath and strap.
    'You wear it diagonally across your shoulder and
back,' she explained. 'The sheath should be positioned
at the nape of your neck so that you can reach for it
over your right shoulder. The blade is very potent and
can damage even very powerful servants of the dark!'
    'Could it destroy the Fiend?' I asked.
    Grimalkin shook her head. 'No, child. I only wish
that it could – I would have used it long ago. But I also
have a second gift for you. Come closer – I won't bite!'
    I took a nervous step forward. Grimalkin spat into
her right hand and quickly dipped her left forefinger
into the spittle. Next she leaned forward, traced a wet
circle on my forehead and muttered something under
her breath. For a moment I felt an intense cold inside
my head, and then a tingling that ran the length of my
spine.
    'There, it's done, child. It is yours to use now.'
    'What is it?' I asked.
    'My second gift is a dark wish . Has your master never
told you about such things?'
    I shook my head, feeling sure he'd be furious if
he knew I'd received such a thing from a witch. 'What
is it?'
    'It is called "dark" because nobody, even those
skilled in scrying, can foretell when and how it will be
used or the outcome of using it. It cost me much to
create: years of stored power that you can now unleash
with a few words. So only use it when you need something
badly and all else fails. Begin with the words "I
wish" and state what you want clearly. Afterwards
repeat your wish a second time. Then it will be done.'
    I felt uncomfortable even thinking about using such
dark power.
    Grimalkin turned to go. 'Remember to use the dark
wish with great care. Don't waste it. Don't use it lightly.'
    With that she pushed her