The Last Apprentice: Night Of The Soul-Stealer Part 19

So for the next hour I rushed around doing all the necessary jobs: cleaning out the grates and was.h.i.+ng all the pots, plates and cups to make life easier on our return next winter. At last the Spook locked the back door behind us and was striding away down the clough with me following happily at his heels, carrying two bags as usual as well as my rowan staff.

I had remembered my promise to Alice - to ask if she could come with us to Chipenden - but was just waiting for the right moment, when I realized that, rather than taking the most direct route to the north, we were heading straight towards Adlington. Even though he'd visited him the previous day, I supposed that the Spook wanted to say another farewell to his brother. I was still dithering about mentioning Alice when we came in sight of the shop.

To my surprise, both Andrew and Alice came out to meet us on the cobbled street. Alice was carrying a small bundle of belongings and looked ready for a journey. She was smiling and looked excited.

'Have a good, prosperous summer, Andrew,' the Spook called out cheerfully. 'See you in November!'

'Same to you, brother!' Andrew replied with a wave.

Next, to my utter astonishment, the Spook turned and led the way and, when I turned to follow, Alice fell into step beside me grinning from ear to ear.

'Oh, I forgot to tell you, lad,' called the Spook over his shoulder, 'Alice will be coming to stay with us in Chipenden on the same terms as previously. I arranged it all yesterday with Andrew. She needs to be where I can keep a watchful eye on her!'

'Big surprise, is it, Tom? Glad to see me, are you?' Alice asked.

'Of course I'm glad to see you and I'm really pleased that you're coming back to Chipenden with us. It's the last thing I expected. Mr Gregory didn't say a word about it.'

'Oh! Didn't he?' laughed Alice. 'Well, now you know what it feels like when people keep secrets and don't tell you things you ought to know! Serves you right!'

I laughed as well. I didn't mind Alice's gibe. I deserved it. I should have told her all about my intention to steal the grimoire. If I had, she might have drummed some sense into my head. But it was all over now and we walked along happily together on our way back to Chipenden at last.

The following day there was another surprise. The route back to Chipenden led us to within about four miles of our farm. I was going to ask if I could call in but the Spook beat me to it.

'I reckon you should pay a visit home, lad. You might find that mother of yours is back; if so, she'll be expecting to see you. I'll press straight ahead, because I need to visit a surgeon on the way.'

'A surgeon? Are you ill?' I asked, starting to worry for him.

'Nay, lad. The man in question does a bit of dentistry as a side-line. He's got a big supply of dead men's teeth and there's bound to be something that'll fit,' he said, giving me a wide smile so that I had a good view of the gap left where the boggart had knocked out his front tooth.

'Where does he get them from?' I asked, appalled.

'From grave robbers?'

'Most of them come from old battlefields,' the Spook said, with a shake of his head. 'He'll make me up a denture and I'll soon be as good as new. He does a nice line in bone b.u.t.tons too. Meg made all her own dresses and was one of his best customers,' the Spook said sadly.

I was glad to hear that. At least her b.u.t.tons hadn't come from her past victims, as I'd first suspected.

'Anyway off you go now,' said the Spook, 'and take the girl with you for a bit of company on the way back.'

I was happy to obey. No doubt the Spook didn't want Alice following at his heels. But I would have the usual problem. Jack wouldn't want her to take one step across the farm boundary and, as Brewer's Farm belonged to him now, it wasn't worth arguing.

An hour or so later Alice and I were in sight of the farm when I noticed something very unusual. To the north, just beyond the farm boundary, was Hangman's Hill, where a plume of dark smoke was now rising from the trees at its summit. Someone had lit a fire there. Who would do that? n.o.body ever went there because it was haunted by the ghasts of men who'd been hanged during the civil war that had swept through the County generations earlier. Even the farm dogs kept well clear.

Instinctively I knew it was Mam. Why she should be up there I couldn't guess, but who else would dare? So we skirted the farm to the east and, once beyond its northern boundary, headed up the hill through the trees. Of the ghasts there was no sign and Hangman's Hill was silent and still, the bare branches gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight. The leaf buds were swollen but it would still be a week or so until they unfolded. Spring had come very late this year.

Immediately we came to its summit, I was proved right. Mam was sitting in front of a fire gazing into the flames. She was sheltering under a refuge of branches, twigs and dead leaves which s.h.i.+elded her from the sunlight. Her hair was matted with dirt and it looked as if she hadn't washed for a long time. She'd lost weight too and her face was gaunt, her expression sad and weary, perhaps of life itself.

'Mam! Mam!' I said, sitting down beside her on the damp earth. 'Are you all right?'

She didn't answer right away and there was a faraway look in her eyes. At first I thought she hadn't heard me. But then, still staring into the fire, she put her left hand on my shoulder.

'I'm glad you're back, Tom,' she said at last. 'I've been waiting here for days .. .' 'Where've you been, Mam?'

She didn't answer, but after a long pause she looked up and met my eyes. 'I'll be on my way soon but we need to talk before I leave.'

'No, Mam, you're in no state to go anywhere. Why don't you go down to the farm and get some food inside you. You need a good night's sleep too. Does Jack know you're here?'

'He knows, son. Jack comes up to see me every day and begs me to do what you've just asked. But it's too painful to go down there now that your dad's not at home. It's. .h.i.t me hard, Tom, and my heart is broken. But now that you've come at last, I'll force myself to go back down there one last time before I leave the County for ever.' 'Don't go, Mam! Please don't leave us!' I begged. Mam didn't reply but just stared into the flames. 'Think of your first grandson, Mam!' I continued desperately. 'Don't you want to see him born? Don't you want to see little Mary grow up either? And what about me? I need you! Don't you want me to complete my time and become a spook? You've saved me in the past and I might need your help again just to get that far...'

Still Mam didn't reply and Alice suddenly seated herself so that she was facing her directly across the fire. 'Not sure, are you?' she said to Mam, her eyes fierce in the firelight. 'You don't really know what to do.'

Mam looked up, her own eyes glistening with tears. 'How old are you, girl? Thirteen, is it?' she asked. 'You're just a child. So what can you know about my business?'

'May only be thirteen,' Alice retorted defiantly, 'but I know things. More things than some who've lived a whole lifetime. Some were taught me. Others I just know. Maybe I was born knowing them. Ain't no idea why. Just is, that's all. And I know about you. Some things anyway. And I know that you're torn between going and staying. Ain't that so? It's true, ain't it?'

Mam bowed her head and then, to my astonishment, nodded.

'The dark is growing in power, that's plain enough, and it's something I've told Tom before,' Mam said, turning to face me again, her eyes glittering more fiercely than those of any witch I'd faced. 'You see, it's the whole world that's falling under the power of the dark, not just the County. I need to fight it in my own land. If I go back now, I might just be able to do something about it before it's too late! And there are other things there that I've left unresolved.'

'What things, Mam?'

'You'll know soon enough. Don't ask me now.'

'But you'd be alone, Mam. What can you do alone?'

'No, Tom, I wouldn't be alone. There are others who'd help me - precious few, I must confess.'

'Stay here, Mam. Stay here and let it come to us,' I begged. 'Let's face it together in my land, not yours...'

Mam smiled sadly. 'This is your land, is it?'

'It is, Mam. This is the County, where I was born. The land I was born to defend against the dark. That's what you told me. You said I'd be the Spook's last apprentice and then it would be up to me to keep everything safe.'

'That's true enough and I won't deny it,' Mam said wearily, staring into the flames.

'Then stay and let's face it together. The Spook's training me. Why don't you train me too? There are things you can do that even he can't. The way you once silenced the ghasts here on Hangman's Hill. He said that nothing could be done about ghasts; that they just faded away in their own time. But you did it. They were silent for months afterwards! And then I've inherited other things too. 'Intimations of death', that's what you called it. I knew when the Spook was close to death recently. And when I think back, I knew when he was on the mend too. I'll know next time when somebody turns the corner on the way back to health. Don't go, please. Stay and teach me.'

'No, Tom,' said Mam, coming to her feet. 'I'm sorry, but my mind's made up. I'll stay here one more night, but I'll be on my way tomorrow.'

I knew I'd argued enough and it was just selfish to continue. I'd promised my dad that I'd let her go when the time came and the time was now. Alice was right: Mam was in two minds, but I knew it wasn't up to me to make the decision for her.

Mam turned to face Alice. 'You've travelled a long way, girl. Further than I ever dared hope. But there are bigger tests yet to come. For what's ahead you'll both need all of your combined strengths. John Gregory's star is starting to fade. You two are the future and the hope of the County. He needs you both by his side.'

Mam was looking down at me as she finished speaking. I stared into the fire for a moment and s.h.i.+vered. 'The fire's nearly out, Mam,' I said, giving her a smile.

'You're right,' said Mam. 'Let's go down to the farm. All three of us.'

'Jack won't want to see Alice,' I reminded her.

'Well, he'll just have to put up with it,' Mam said, in a tone that told me she'd stand no messing from Jack.

And the truth was, in his happiness to see Mam back, Jack hardly seemed to notice Alice at all.

After having a bath and changing her clothes, despite Ellie's pleas that she should rest, Mam insisted on making the hotpot supper. I stayed with her in the kitchen while she cooked, and told her most of what had been happening up on Anglezarke. What I didn't tell her was how Morgan had tortured Dad's spirit. Knowing Mam, I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that she knew already But even if that had been the case, it would still have been too painful for her. So I just didn't mention it. She'd been hurt enough.

When I'd finished, she didn't say much except to draw me close and tell me I'd made her proud. It felt good to be home. Little Mary was upstairs safely asleep, the beeswax candle was in the bra.s.s candlestick at the centre of the table, a warm fire was blazing in the grate and Mam's food was on the table.

But beneath the surface things had changed and were continuing to do so. We all knew that.

Mam sat at the head of the table, in the place that had once been Dad's, and almost looked like her old self. Alice and I sat opposite Jack and Ellie. Of course, by now Jack had been able to collect his thoughts and you could tell that he didn't feel comfortable with Alice being there but there was nothing he could do about it.

Little was said at the table that night, but as we finished our hotpot, Mam pushed away her plate and came to her feet. She looked at each of us in turn before she spoke.

This might well be the last supper that we'll ever share together' she said. 'Tomorrow night I'll be leaving the County and I might never return.'

'Nay Mam! Don't say that' Jack begged, but she silenced him by raising her left hand.

'You'll all need to look after each other now' she said sadly. 'That's what your dad and I would wish for you. But I've something to say to you, Jack. So listen well. What it says in your dad's will can't be changed because it reflects my wishes too. The room under the attic must belong to Tom for the rest of his life. Even if you were to die and your own son inherited, that would still be the case. I can't explain my reasons to you, Jack, because you wouldn't like what I told you. But there are a lot more things at stake than just your feelings. My last wish, before I leave, is that you fully accept what has to be done. Well, son, do you?'

Jack nodded and bowed his head. Ellie looked frightened and I felt sorry for her.

'Right, Jack, I'm glad that's sorted out. Now bring me the keys to my room.'

Jack went into the front and came back almost immediately. There were four keys in all. The three smaller ones were for the trunks inside the room. Jack placed them on the table in front of Mam, who picked them up with her left hand.

'Tom and Alice' said Mam, 'both of you come with me.' So saying, she turned away from the table, left the kitchen and started to climb the stairs. She went straight up to her private room. The one she always kept locked.

Mam unlocked the door and I followed her inside. Her room was much as I remembered it, full of trunks, boxes and chests. In the autumn she'd brought me up here and given me the silver chain from the largest trunk, closest to the window. Without that chain I'd now be a prisoner of Meg again or, more likely, have been fed to her sister. But what else was to be found within the three largest trunks? I was starting to feel really curious.

At that moment I glanced behind me. Alice was still standing just outside the room, a nervous, hesitant expression on her face. She was staring down at the threshold.

'Step inside and close the door behind you, Alice' Mam said softly.

When Alice stepped into the room, Mam gave her a broad smile and handed me the keys. 'Here, Tom, they're yours now. Don't give them to anyone else. Not even Jack. Keep them by you at all times. This room belongs to you now.'

Alice looked about her wide-eyed. I knew she'd just love to start rummaging about inside those boxes, discovering all their secrets. I must admit I was feeling the same myself.

'Can I look inside the trunks now, Mam?' I asked.

'Inside you'll find the answers to a lot of things that'll have been puzzling you; things about me that I never even told your dad. My past and my future are inside those boxes. But you'll need a clear head and a sharp mind to work it all out. You've gone through a lot and you're tired and weary so it's best to wait until I've gone, Tom. Come back late in the spring and do it then, when you're full of hope and the days are getting longer. That would be best.'

I was disappointed but I smiled and nodded. 'Whatever you say, Mam' I told her.

'There's one more thing I need to tell you. This room is more than just the sum of its contents. Once locked, nothing evil can ever enter here. If you're brave and your soul is pure and good, this room is a redoubt, a fortress against the dark, better protected than even your master's house in Chipenden. Only use it when something so terrible pursues you that your very life and soul are at risk. It's your last refuge.'

'Just for me, Mam?'

Mam looked at Alice and then back at me. 'Alice is in here now, so yes, Alice could use it too. That's why I brought her up here now, just to be sure. But never bring anyone else here. Not Jack, not Ellie, not even your master.'

'Why, Mam?' I asked. 'Why can't Mr Gregory use it?'

I couldn't believe that the Spook couldn't use it in time of dire need.

'Because there's a price to pay for using this room. You're both young and strong and your power is waxing. You would survive. But as I told you, John Gregory's power is waning. He's like a guttering candle. To use this room would snuff out the last of his strength. And if the need ever arises, you must tell him exactly that. And tell him that I was the one who said it.'

I nodded my agreement and that was it. Alice and I were given beds for the night, but as soon as the sun rose, after a good breakfast, Mam sent us on our way to Chipenden. Jack was going to arrange for a cart to collect Mam at dusk and take her to Sunderland Point. From there she would set sail for her own land in the wake of Meg and her sister.

Mam said goodbye to Alice and asked her to go ahead and wait for me at the yard gate. With a smile Alice waved and walked away.

As we hugged each other for what I knew could be the very last time, Mam tried to say something, but the words choked in her throat and a tear trickled down her cheek.

'What is it, Mam?' I asked gently.

'I'm sorry, son,' she said. 'I'm trying to be strong but if s so hard I can hardly bear it. I don't want to say anything that'll make it worse for you.'

'Say it, please say whatever you need to say,' I begged, tears in my own eyes now.

'It's just that time rushes by so fast and I've been so happy here. I'd stay if I could, I really would, but it's my duty to go. I was so happy with your dad. There never was a more honest, true and affectionate man. And my happiness was complete when you and your brothers were born. I'll never know such joy again. But it's over now and I've just got to let go of the past. It's all gone so quickly that now it just seems like a short happy dream ...'

'Why does it have to be like this?' I asked bitterly. 'Why does life have to be so short, with all the good things pa.s.sing quickly. Is it worth living at all?'

Mam looked at me sadly. 'If you achieve all that I hope, then others will judge your life to have been worth living, son, even if you don't. You were born to serve the County. And that's what you've got to do.'

We held each other tight one final time and I thought my heart would surely break.

'Goodbye, my son,' she whispered and brushed her lips against my cheek.

It was too much to bear and I set off walking at once. But after a few paces I turned to wave and saw Mam wave back from the shadows inside the doorway. When I turned again soon afterwards, she'd already gone back into the kitchen.

So, with a heavy heart, I walked on to Chipenden with Alice, my mother's last kiss upon my cheek. I was still only thirteen but I knew my childhood was already over.

We're back in Chipenden now: the bluebells are finally out, the birds are singing and the sun's getting warmer with each pa.s.sing day.

Alice has never been happier but she's really curious about what could be in the trunks in Mam's room. I can't take her back to the farm with me because it would upset Jack and Ellie too much, but I'm planning to go next month and I've promised to tell her about everything that I find.

The Spook seems to have recovered his health fully now and he spends hours each day walking on the fells to build up his stamina. I've never seen him leaner and tougher but something seems to have changed inside his head. Sometimes there are long silences during lessons when he seems to forget I'm there. And he stares into s.p.a.ce a lot with a worried expression on his face. Despite the fact that he seems stronger than ever, he told me that he feels his time on earth is coming to an end.

There are things he wants to do before he dies. Things that he's been putting off for years. First of all he's talking about going east to Pendle to sort out the three covens of witches there once and for all. That's thirty-nine witches in all! It sounds a very dangerous thing to attempt and I can't start to see how he can possibly accomplish it. But I've no choice in the matter and I'll be following my master wherever he chooses to go. I'm still just the apprentice and he's the Spook.

Thomas J. Ward.

end.