The Spook's Battle Read Free Page B

library. He still didn't trust Alice fully, and she wasn't allowed in the library in case she read something she 'wasn't supposed to. Now that there were three of us living in the house, my master had finally opened up another of the downstairs rooms, and it was currently used as a study. Alice was working there now, earning her keep by copying one of the Spook's books. Some of them were rare and he was always afraid that something might happen to them, so he liked to have a copy just in case.I was studying covens --how a group of thirteen witches came together for their rituals. I was reading a passage that described what happened when witches held special feasts, -which were called sabbaths.
     Some covens celebrate sabbaths weekly, others each month, at the time of either the fall moon or the new moon. Additionally, there are four great dabbaths held when the power of darkness is at its greatest: Candlemas, Walpurgis Night, Lammas andHalloween. At these four dark feasts, covens may combine in worship.I already knew about Walpurgis Night. It took place on April , and years earlier three covens had gathered together at Pendle on that sabbath to curse the Spook. Well, we were now in the second week in July; I -wondered when the next great sabbath was and began to search the page. I didn't get very far because at that moment something happened that I'd never experienced in the whole of my time in Chipenden.Rap ! Rap ! Rap ! Rap !Someone was knocking on the back door! I couldn't believe it. Nobody came to the house. Visitors always went to the withy trees at the crossroads and rang the bell. To enter the gardens was to risk being torn to bits by the boggart that guarded the house and its perimeter. Who had knocked? Was it the friend the Spook was expecting? And if so, how had he managed to reach the back door in one piece?

Chapter  2

    C urious, I returned my book to its place on the shelf and went downstairs. The Spook had already answered the door and was leading someone into the kitchen. When I saw him, my jaw dropped in surprise. He was a very big man, broad across the shoulders and at least two or three inches taller than the Spook. He had a friendly, honest face and looked to be in his late thirties, but the truly astonishing thing about him was that he was wearing a black cassock.He was a priest!"This is my apprentice, Tom Ward," said the Spook with a smile."I'm very pleased to meet you, Tom," said the priest, holding out his hand. "I'm Father Stocks. My parish is Downham, north of Pendle Hill.""I'm pleased to meet you, too," I said, shaking his hand."John has told me all about you in his letters," Father Stocks said. "It seems you've gotten yourself off to a very promising start --"At that moment Alice came into the kitchen. She looked our visitor up and down with surprise in her eyes when she saw that he was a priest. In turn, Father Stocks glanced down at her pointy shoes and his eyebrows gave a slight twitch upward."And this is young Alice," said the Spook. "Alice, say hello to Father Stocks."
     Alice nodded and gave the priest a little smile."I've heard a lot about you, too, Alice," he said. "I believe you've family in Pendle --""Blood ties, that's all," replied Alice with a fierce frown. "My mam was a Malkin and my dad was a Deane. Ain't my fault where I was born. None of us choose our kin.""That's very true," said the priest in a kindly voice. "I'm sure the world 'would be a very different place if we could. But it's the way we live our lives that counts."Not much more was said after that. The priest was tired after his journey, and it was clear that the Spook wanted us on our way to Jack's farm, so we made our preparations to leave.
      I didn't bother with my bag, but just took my staff and a lump of cheese for us to eat on the journey.The Spook walked us to the door. "Here's what you'll need to hire the cart," he said, handing me a small silver coin."How did Father Stocks manage to get past the boggart and