'Cat got your tongue?' Alice asked finally.
'If so, it's got yours too!' I retorted.
She smiled at me sadly. 'Things just ain't the same any more, are they, Tom?'
I shrugged. What she'd said was perfectly true. How could they ever be the same again?
'A lot's happened, Alice. Everything seems to be changing.'
'Changing?'
'My apprenticeship to Mr Gregory is over, Mam's formed an alliance with some of the Pendle witches, and you, my best friend in the whole world, turn out to be the daughter of my enemy.'
'Don't,' she said. 'Don't say it.'
'Sorry.'
'Look, if we go to Greece and win, then it'll all have been for the best, won't it? I'll have proved to you and Mr Gregory that I'm nothing like my father. And maybe when Old Gregory finally realizes that your mam made the alliance for the good of the County, he'll take you back on and you can continue your studies.'
'I suppose so,' I said. 'But I'm uneasy. Uncomfortable.
There's a lot to take in.'
'It's been bad for both of us, Tom. But we'll come through it, won't we? We always have in the past.'
'Of course we will,' I told her warmly.
We parted on good terms, but it seemed strange to be leaving Alice in the field with the witches. It was as if we belonged to different worlds. I felt like stretching my legs, so I followed the perimeter of the farm round to the north. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, and as I reached the boundary of Hangman's Hill, I saw three figures waiting in the shadows just beyond the fence. I recognized them as I got closer. It was Mab and her sisters, three witches from the Mouldheel clan.
Mab was leaning back against a tree staring at me. I remembered her as quite a pretty girl, but the Mab who faced me now was positively glowing, with a dazzling smile, sparkling green eyes and golden hair.
Just in time I remembered the two dark magic spells – glamour and fascination. The first made a witch appear much more attractive than she really was; the second enthralled a man just as a stoat controls a rabbit, so that he is easily manipulated into believing anything the wily witch suggests. No doubt Mab was using those two powers against me, so I resisted, taking a deep breath and concentrating on less favourable aspects of her appearance – her shabby brown dress and dirty bare feet.
When I glanced up again, her hair already looked pale rather than golden and her smile was fading. Her sisters, Beth and Jennet, were sitting cross-legged at her feet. They were twins and, with or without glamour and fascination, were nowhere near as attractive as their older sister. They had hooked noses, pinched faces and hard staring eyes.
'You're not supposed to be here, Mab,' I told her with a frown. 'Mam wants you all to keep to the south meadow until we leave.'
'You don't seem very friendly, Tom,' Mab pouted. 'We've just come to say hello. After all, we're on the same side now, aren't we? And aren't you going to thank me for saving your life?'
I looked at her in puzzlement. What did she mean?
'That maenad would have killed you but for me,' she said. 'I scryed it and told Alice to warn you. Knew you wouldn't look at me in a mirror. Just hope we can be friends again now, that's all.'
We'd never really been friends, and I remembered that Mab could be cruel and dangerous. Back in Pendle she'd not only threatened little Mary; she'd also intended to murder Alice. This was what repelled me about having to work with malevolent witches. Most used blood or bone magic. They could make do with animals, but they preferred to use people.
'Tell Tom what else you scryed, Mab!' Beth said, getting to her feet and standing beside her older sister.
'Oh, yes, tell him. I want to see his face when he knows!' her twin, Jennet, said, jumping up on the other side of Mab.
'Not sure I should,' said Mab. 'It'll only make poor Tom unhappy. But maybe not as unhappy as it would have done in the past – after all, he's not as close to Alice any more. They're not that friendly at all now, are they? But I could be your friend, Tom. Closer to you than anyone has ever been. I'd be—'
'What did you scry?' I interrupted. Mab had already proved that she really could use a mirror to look into the future. I was concerned. What had she seen regarding Alice?
'I saw Alice Deane die!' Mab said, her eyes smiling with pleasure. 'A feral lamia witch had her in its mouth. Dragged her down into its dark lair, then sucked out all her blood until her heart stopped.'
'You're lying!' I snapped, a fist beginning to squeeze my heart and tighten my throat. Mab's prophecies had come true before. I couldn't bear the thought of that happening to Alice.
'No need to lie, Tom. It's the truth – as you'll find out soon enough. I scryed it two weeks ago. I used fresh blood – it was young blood too. Not often wrong when I do that. It'll happen in Greece on the journey to the Ord. Tell her if you like. Not that it'll make any difference.'
'You're not coming with us to Greece!' I said angrily. 'I'm going to speak to Mam about you. I don't want you anywhere near me or Alice!'
'You can tell her what you like, but she won't send me away. Your mam needs me. Her foresight is fading but mine's still strong. I'm needed to find out what the maenads are up to. No, you won't get rid of me so easily!'
Without another word I turned my back on Mab and her sisters and walked back towards the farm. I was seething with anger.
She called out to me, her voice shrill and peevish. 'It'll be a bad summer for you, Tom Ward. Lots of nasty things going to happen. You're going to feel more unhappy than you've ever felt before!'
Chapter 7
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
At last it was time to head for Sunderland Point and begin our long sea voyage to Greece. Five wagons were hired to carry us and our tools and supplies to the coast – one of them covered with a dark canvas to protect Mam from the sun.
The Pendle witches had set off on foot the day before. Mab and her two sisters were part of a contingent of seven Mouldheels. There were also nine Deanes and eleven Malkin representatives, including Grimalkin. Alice went with them. We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
Brief and sad were the farewells we took of Jack, Ellie and James. Jack hugged Mam tightly, and when they drew apart there were tears in his eyes. As she climbed up into her wagon, I saw that Mam's cheeks were wet too. I tried hard to put the sight from my mind, but it seemed like a final parting; they might never see each other again.