Slake growled deep in her throat, but I turned my back on her and went up the steps to the battlements. I didn’t want to see Alice yet. I had to think things through first.
I PACED THE battlements of Malkin Tower, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, like someone demented. As I walked, my mind twisted this way and that, trapped in a labyrinth; no matter which avenue of escape I explored, I always returned to the two questions that tormented me.
Should I tell Alice that she had to go into the dark again? And after that, was I prepared to make such a sacrifice? Could I really take Alice’s life?
The night passed slowly as I agonized over what I should do. Finally I leaned on the parapet, staring west over the trees of Crow Wood. Gradually the sky began to lighten, until the massive bulk of Pendle Hill was visible. There, in that pale dawn light, I began to read the letter outlining the ritual by which the Fiend could finally be destroyed.
That was a strange coincidence. I was to attempt to destroy the Fiend on a hill that bore my own name! I shivered as if someone had walked over my grave – then continued to read.
The full implications of what was being asked suddenly became clear in my mind. Alice was being asked to retrieve the blade Dolorous – which would then be used in the disgusting ceremony to cut out her heart. She was being asked to venture into the dark to seize the very weapon that would slay her!
It was appalling. I shuddered at the thought of carrying out such a task.
Then I heard someone climbing the steps towards me. I recognized the click of Alice’s pointy shoes and hastily stuffed the letter into my breeches pocket. Seconds later she emerged onto the battlements behind me.
‘Did you see your mam?’ she asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. ‘How did it go? You seem upset. I can feel you trembling.’
‘I am upset,’ I admitted. ‘She’s changed terribly. She doesn’t seem at all like the mam I remember.’
‘Oh, Tom!’ Alice cried. ‘Everybody changes. If you were to step into the head of your future self years from now, you’d no doubt be appalled by how different you were and how much your thoughts and feelings had altered. We’re changing all the time, but it’s so gradual we don’t notice it happening. And for lamias it’s much more rapid and marked. Your mam can’t help it, Tom. It’s in her nature – but she still loves you.’
‘Does she?’ I said, turning to face her.
She stared at me. ‘What is it, Tom? There’s something wrong, isn’t there? Something you haven’t told me.’
I gazed into Alice’s eyes and made a decision. I would tell her part of what I knew – that she was being asked to go into the dark again. But there was no way I could tell her that she would have to be sacrificed to finally defeat the Fiend. That was impossible. The ritual was horrible, and I knew I was incapable of carrying out such an act on my worst enemy, let alone my best friend.
So there on the battlements, in the grey light of dawn, with the raucous cries of crows in the background, I gave her half a tale.
‘There’s something I’ve got to tell you, Alice,’ I said. ‘It’s terrible but you have to know. There are three sacred objects needed to bind the Fiend for all time. I already have the first two – my sword and a dagger called Bone Cutter. But the third of the hero swords is also a dagger and it’s hidden in the dark under the Fiend’s throne. They want you to go into the dark and get it, Alice – but I said I wouldn’t let you.’
For a moment Alice was quiet, all the while staring intently into my eyes. ‘What do you know about the ritual itself, Tom? What has to be done?’
‘I’ll be told that later – once we have the three objects,’ I lied.
After I’d finished we were both silent for a long time. I stared up at the sky, watching the small clouds race eastwards, their edges tinged with red and pink from the rising sun. Then suddenly Alice rushed into my arms and we hugged each other tightly. As we did so, I knew that I could never sacrifice her; there had to be another way.
When we finally broke apart, Alice looked up at me. ‘If it’s the only way, then I’ll go into the dark and get what we need,’ she said.
‘No, Alice! Don’t even think of it. There must be something else we can do!’
‘But what if there isn’t, Tom? Grimalkin can’t keep the Fiend’s head out of the hands of our enemies for ever. They’ll never give up. Everywhere we go is dangerous because they’re always at our heels. They waited for us here, didn’t they? And eventually the Fiend will return with all his power. We’ll be snatched away into the dark for an eternity of torment. At least this way only one of us has to go. I have to venture into the dark whatever the cost. And I’ll be coming back. Ain’t going to stay there for ever, am I?’
‘No, you can’t go into the dark,’ I insisted. ‘I won’t let you.’
‘It’s my decision, Tom, not yours. There’s still more than five months till Halloween, but the sooner I get that dagger, the better.’
‘You can’t go back there, Alice!’ I cried. ‘Remember what it did to you last time.’
‘That was different, Tom. I was snatched away by the Fiend. Well, he ain’t there now, and the dark is weakened because of it. And I’ve a lot of power of my own. I can look after myself, don’t you worry!’
I didn’t reply. Even if Alice succeeded, she would only have moved things nearer to the point where she was supposed to die. Mam’s second letter was in my pocket, and there it would stay.
We stayed in the tower for the remainder of the daylight hours, planning to leave after dark, when it would be easier to slip away unseen.
While Alice went down into the tunnel to pay another visit to Agnes, I had a short conversation with Slake. In her presence I read through the remainder of Mam’s letter and was able to question her about things that were unclear. The more I learned, the worse it got. By the end of our discussion I was close to despair.
At last it was time to leave. While Alice waited for me, I turned to the lamia. ‘I may never return here,’ I told her. ‘You are free to go.’
‘It is not for you to dismiss me,’ Slake hissed. ‘I will stay here until after Halloween. Then, when the Fiend has been dealt with, I will burn the trunks and leave to seek out others of my kind.’