Alice squeezed my hand again. ‘Not actually using it, Tom – just knowing how to counter it. Old Gregory wouldn’t understand. That’s why Adriana put something in his drink. He’ll sleep until long after dawn. We could be back by then – with it all done and dusted.’
‘You’ve put something in his drink? That’s crazy! What will he say when he finds out? I can’t do it, Alice. He would never forgive me.’
‘You’ve got to come and help – otherwise Adriana will try to deal with Lizzie by herself. She told me so. Without us she’ll be dead or fed to the buggane in no time. She’s already set off for the keep with Simon – she’ll attack Lizzie whether we join her or not. Ain’t going to risk the buggane’s tunnels. Going in through the front gate, we are. Adriana can get us in!’
‘How can we get past the guards? There’ll still be several men inside that keep and the portcullis will be down.’
‘There’ll only be about half a dozen, that’s all: they change over at eleven. None of ’em want to stay in there at night, so they take turns. Lizzie’s agreed to that. We’ll strike as the guard changes.’
‘How will Adriana help?’ I asked.
‘Remember she said she was a bird witch? Thought it was nonsense then. Well, I still don’t think she’s a witch. Nobody would think so in Pendle. But you wouldn’t believe what she can do with birds. She’s going to use them to distract the guards. Just you wait and see.’
‘There’s one big problem though. We know that Lizzie won’t be able to long-sniff me or you. She won’t know we’re on our way. But she’ll sniff out Adriana and Simon for sure. She’ll sense the danger before they get anywhere near the portcullis.’
‘Talked to her about that too. If we go in and tackle Lizzie, she and Simon will stay outside. If we don’t, they’re both going in together – Adriana is set on taking revenge on Lizzie.’ Alice shook her head and sighed. ‘But she’s no good against her, Tom, so we have to go. It’s our one chance.’
‘But when we get inside, what exactly will we do?’ I asked.
‘I’ve been thinking about that. We’ll need to make for that room where the shaman kept his books. I’ve spent a long time trying to make head or tail of his notebook – can’t understand a lot of what’s in it, but it refers to pages in the grimoires. If you know where to look, there’ll be stuff on controlling the buggane. Even mentions that cache of animas. Tells you how to use its power.’
‘Will you be able to read those grimoires? They’ll probably be in the Old Tongue. You know I’ve been studying it for months now and I’m making slow progress.’
‘I practised it for nearly two years. Lizzie had a small library – most of her stuff was in English, some in Latin, but the most powerful spells of all were in the Old Tongue. I’m still slow, but I can work it out given time. It’s worth a try, Tom. What do you say?’
So, very reluctantly, I agreed to accompany Alice. I said goodbye to the dogs and managed to keep them quiet. The Spook was still snoring loudly. I dreaded to think what he’d say when he found out. But under the circumstances, what choice did I have?
It was a cloudless night; the moon wasn’t up yet but the stars were very bright. We were walking through the trees, approaching the keep, when I heard an owl hoot three times somewhere ahead.
‘That’s Adriana,’ Alice whispered, leading us towards the sound.
As we got nearer, I had a sudden strong feeling of being watched. Everything seemed very still and there wasn’t a breath of wind. And then I glanced up and saw hundreds of eyes staring down at me intently. The branches above were covered with birds. There wasn’t enough light to identify the different species, but they ranged in size from sparrows to large crows. They should have been roosting at this time of night; yet here they were, wide awake – it was unnerving to see them watching us like that.
Adriana was waiting with Simon under a tree. She put her finger to her lips to indicate the need for silence. Through the trees beyond her I could see the entrance to Greeba Keep. The portcullis was down, and five men were striding towards the gate.
Adriana stepped forward and placed her left hand on Alice’s shoulder, her right on mine. Then she looked up to where the birds waited silently, opened her mouth and gave a strange cry; it was something like a bird’s call – though none that I recognized. In response the flock seemed to move as one. There was a rustling of feathers, a settling, then silence again.
‘You’ll be safe now,’ Adriana whispered. ‘They won’t touch you. I only wish we could come with you …’
‘Ain’t worth the risk,’ Alice whispered back. ‘Lizzie would sniff you out for sure. Once we’ve dealt with her, we’ll meet you back here. No knowing how long. Could be hours – or even a day or more.’
The men had almost reached the gate now. We heard the grind of metal on metal and the clank of chains as the portcullis was slowly raised.
‘Simon and I will wait here, no matter how long it takes. And we’ll watch the keep. Now go down towards the wall directly ahead,’ Adriana told us, her voice still low. ‘When the birds attack, slip in through the gate.’
We did as she instructed and started heading down the slope. The portcullis was fully raised now and the guard was about to change. There were about dozen men there. In a few moments the old guard would set off home. If they glanced our way, there was a danger that we might be spotted.
Somehow we reached the wall without attracting their attention. Half the yeomen were heading towards the trees, and there was a clank of chains again as the others began to lower the gate. In a few moments it would be too late. But then there was another noise – the beating of wings. I looked up and saw that the stars were eclipsed. Like a black cloud, a huge flock of birds descended upon the two groups of men. I heard curses, shouts, and then a loud cry of pain.
Alice and I began to run along the wall. Adriana had talked about distracting the guards, but as we reached the gate, I realized that this was no minor diversion to allow us into the keep. Those men were fighting for their very lives. Some were running around, arms flapping desperately to ward off their attackers. One was on the ground, rolling over and over, covered in birds; the air was thick with feathers.