But some wormes could be bigger, or so I had heard. ‘You called it the Great Worme – was it exceptionally large?’ I asked the boy.
‘It was the biggest anyone had ever seen – much bigger than a horse. My father had a special suit of armour forged – one covered with sharp metal spikes. When the worme wrapped itself around him, its body was pierced and he cut it to pieces with his sword.’
I smiled, showing him my teeth. Once more he flinched. ‘You said that your father is a knight without wealth. How many men does he have at his disposal?’
‘He has few men, but those he commands are well-trained – including eight master archers skilled with the longbow.’
I liked what I was hearing. I realized that this knight, with his spiked armour and expert bowmen might make the killing of the kretch far easier.
‘Listen, boy,’ I told Will. ‘I too am brave, and so is Thorne. We have taken refuge in this fortification because we are being pursued by many powerful enemies. That alone would not dissuade me from facing them directly in combat, but by dark magic they have created a terrible creature which is part wolf and part man. Until I find a way to destroy it I need a refuge such as this. But I think your father’s castle would be a better place. Not only that – your brave father and his archers could help me to destroy my enemies. If I help you to escape this place and deliver you safely to him, would he give us shelter in his castle, do you think? Would he put his fighting prowess next to ours and help us to victory?’
‘I’m sure he would!’ Will cried out, his eyes shining. ‘Get me to safety and I promise that he will help you!’
I turned to face Thorne. ‘We came here out of desperation. We will be hard pressed to defend this castle – the Fiend’s servants may lay siege for weeks and starve us out. Now we have the chance of a proper refuge. The journey will be risky, but once we reach it we will be far safer than we are here. What do you say?’
Thorne assented, so I turned back to face the boy, staring hard into his eyes. ‘Even if we rescue you, we are still witches, feared and loathed by many people, especially men, and we cannot be sure that your father will honour the promises of his son.’
‘I give you my word,’ he replied. ‘My father is a man of honour; he will be bound by what I have promised.’
I thought quickly. Could the boy really hold his father to that promise? It was possible. Knights – like all men – varied in their characters: some were good, others bad, while most balanced on a line between the two states. However, many did hold to a code of chivalry. Above all, they believed in honour and kept their word. I looked down at the gate. Soon the kretch would arrive. Despite my magic it would eventually tear the barrier from its hinges and then the Fiend’s human servants would attack. We would hold them off at first, but how many more would come, summoned from the far corners of the world to take back the head? In the end we would lose.
I dozed for a while, leaving Thorne on watch. I awoke to the murmur of voices and slowly opened one eye.
Thorne and the boy were sitting very close together, almost touching, and talking together softly in an animated way, lost in their own private world. It was the first time I had ever seen Thorne show interest in a boy, but she had reached an age when the right one might hold a fascination for her. They clearly liked each other, and watching them put me in mind of my first meeting with the Fiend.
I was young, not much more than sixteen, when I first en countered him. Of course, I did not know he was the Fiend. I was passing a ruined chapel – one abandoned by the Church after the local population had dwindled; the bishop had deconsecrated the ground ten years earlier and it was now a wilderness of empty graves.
A young man was standing in the shadows watching me. I was annoyed to find myself being stared at and I prepared to cast a small spell – nothing too severe; one that would have loosened his bowels rather suddenly or brought vomit up into his throat. But then he did something that pushed all such thoughts from my mind.
He smiled at me.
Never had I been smiled at in such a way, with such warmth and evident liking. He was handsome too, and tall – I have always liked tall men – and before the night was done we had kissed and lain snugly in each other’s arms.
It was Agnes Sowerbutts who put me wise. I had been in the company of the Devil! she told me. At first I found it hard to believe. Surely he could not be the Fiend! How could this beautiful, kind young man be reconciled with the fearsome beast who appeared in the flames of the bone fire at Halloween? And how could I have been such a fool and fallen so easily for his charms? I was both annoyed and disgusted with myself – I had a bitter hatred of the Fiend and didn’t want to believe what Agnes had told me.
But once I’d finally accepted the truth, I knew what to do: bear his child and I could be free of him for ever.
I looked at Thorne now, talking happily to her new friend. She did not know I was watching her – otherwise she would not have sat so close to him.
Foolish child, don’t you know that most men are devils inside?
But I did not speak the words aloud. We must snatch happiness where we can. I would not begrudge her a few sweet moments.
The clouds had cleared, and to the east the sky was rapidly growing lighter. The sun would be up soon. Better to leave now under cover of what little darkness remained.
‘Right, boy – in return for what you have promised, we will take you to your father’s castle!’ I announced suddenly.
Both Thorne and Will flinched at my unexpected interruption of their cosy chat. They were startled, and quickly, almost guiltily, drew away from each other.
We rose to our feet and I stared at the boy hard, once more showing him my teeth. ‘At all times take up a position between us and obey everything I say without question. Is that understood?’
Will nodded and, hefting the leather sack up onto my shoulder, I led the way down the steps, Thorne bringing up the rear. We ran directly across the yard to the gate. I uttered the words to disable the spell and pulled it open. Were we being watched? I sniffed quickly, and my nostrils were assaulted by waves of fear, drunkenness and growing bravado. The bandits were not yet ready to attack. They were too busy getting drunk to watch the gate.
I sprinted north down the hill with the others following. Soon we were within the labyrinth of dark narrow streets. Mostly they were deserted, but on one corner a drunkard stepped into our path, his mouth opening in surprise. I pushed him hard and he fell back into a doorway while we ran on.