Witch Finder Read Free Page A

There was only one thing in his mind: a figure. A figure he had glimpsed by firelight long ago and the tall shadow it cast on the bedroom wall behind it. It was almost fifteen years since he had seen its shape, but it was still burnt into his mind, and his eye, and all of his nightmares.
    This is for my ma , he thought, as his fingers ran down the list, as if touch could guide him to the right name. This is for my pa , as he came to a stop, the pin poised in his hand. Please God, let it be him. Let it be the right one.
    He stabbed with the pin, feeling it pierce the page deep, deep, as he ground it into the book with all the strength of his hatred.
    ‘He’s chosen.’ The man’s voice rang out in the small room. ‘Let it be witnessed; he’s chosen.’
    Luke fumbled with the bandage and opened his eyes, blinking, to the firelight and the circle of faces. Then he bent his head to the book, to see what name lay skewered by his pin.
    ‘Rosamund Greenwood,’ he read aloud, with a stab of fury. A woman. He knew nothing about her, except that she was a witch. A witch, but not the one he’d wanted, and for that alone he hated her, as if the rest wasn’t reason enough. She’d robbed him of avenging his father and mother and—
    ‘No.’ A voice was rising from the back of the room in panic. ‘No, no, no. He must choose again.’
    ‘Brother.’ The gowned man held up a hand. ‘You know the rules . . .’
    ‘No!’ The speaker tore off his mask and Luke saw his uncle standing there, his face flushed with the fire. ‘You must be mad, John! Her brother’s Alexis Greenwood, thick as thieves with the Knyvets, or so they say. To send a green boy up against witches like that—’
    ‘You know the rules.’ The gowned man spoke wearily but firmly. ‘Put your mask back on, Brother, or you’ll be thrown from the meeting.’
    ‘He’ll be killed!’ William roared.
    ‘She’s nowt but a sixteen-year-old girl, William,’ another voice tried to put in. ‘It coulda bin worse—’
    ‘Worse? Only if she’d picked Knyvet himself, or another of the Ealdwitan! And then I might as well cut his head from his shoulders right here and save us the trouble of fetching his body. Let him choose again, I say!’
    ‘No.’ John pulled off his own mask and faced William. His face was both angry and sad. ‘The rules are the rules, William. We can’t pick and choose for our own, you know that as well as I. God knows, we’ve had hard choices before – Bates, Jack Almond, young Tom Simmonds. We’ve lost Brothers and mourned ’em but—’
    ‘Not in a lost cause!’ William’s voice broke, and he took John by the shoulders. ‘We’ve lost fights, lost men, I know that as well as you. But this is a lamb to the slaughter. Do not do this, John. You’re a good man – better than this.’
    ‘Hey,’ Luke said from where he sat. They took no notice of him. He stood and said louder, ‘Uncle! William! ’
    Two faces, red in the firelight, turned to look at him. Luke thought they’d almost forgotten he was there.
    ‘It’s my choice,’ he said bitterly. ‘Mine. And I choose to take the task. A sixteen-year-old girl, you said – and you think I’m a lamb to the slaughter?’
    ‘You don’t understand, boy—’ William began, but Luke broke in. His fists were clenched so that his nails made half-moons on the skin of his palms.
    ‘I understand. I understand that every other man here’s done as I’m being asked to do, and none of them backed down. Don’t take away that right from me. I’ll not have men say I was too frightened to face a girl fresh out of the schoolroom.’
    ‘Luke . . .’ William put out a pleading hand, but Luke turned away from his uncle towards John Leadingham.
    ‘I accept the task. I’ll kill the girl. And there’s an end.’

‘S hh, not on the bed, Belle.’ Rosa pushed at the little dog and it thudded sulkily to the floor and shuffled over to the window seat, where it circled busily until it