That was true enough. She'd fought alongside me in the marsh, and together we'd defeated Morwena and a host of water witches. Without her I'd have been killed. Servant of the dark or not, the alliance with Grimalkin had been worthwhile. It seemed clear that Bill Arkwright didn't have the same scruples as my master.
We found Mam talking to James behind the barn. When she saw us, she took her leave of my brother and came to greet our visitor. 'This is Bill Arkwright, Mam,' I told her. 'He's come to hear what you have to say.'
'Pleased to meet you, Mrs Ward,' Arkwright said, giving a little bow. 'I'm intrigued by what your son has told me and would like to know more.'
Mam turned to face me and gave me a warm smile.
'I'd like to talk to Mr Arkwright in private for a few moments, son. Why don't you take a walk to the south meadow where the campfires are. There's someone there who'd like a word with you.'
'What? One of the witches?' I asked, puzzled.
'Why don't you go and find out?'
I wondered why she couldn't just discuss things with Arkwright while I was there, but I nodded and left them to talk.
The campfires were scattered across the big field next to land belonging to our neighbour, Mr Wilkinson – half a dozen of them, with two or three witches around each fire. Who could want to talk to me? I wondered. As I walked across, I could see food cooking, and once again there was a tantalizing aroma of stewed rabbit.
It was then that I heard footsteps behind me and turned quickly, my mouth opening in surprise. Facing me was a girl of about my own height. She was wearing pointy shoes and her black dress was tied at the waist with a piece of string.
Alice.
Chapter 5
ALICE DEANE
'Missed you, Tom Ward,' Alice said, tears threatening to fall. 'Ain't been the same without you.'
She came towards me and we hugged tightly. I heard her sob and felt her shoulders trembling. As we pulled apart, I was suddenly filled with guilt.
Although I was now delighted to see her, I'd spent long weeks obeying the Spook and turning away each time she'd tried to contact me.
'Thanks for using the mirror to warn me about the maenad, Alice. She would have killed me but for you.'
'I was scared you wouldn't listen, Tom. I've tried to contact you before but you always turned away.'
'I was just doing what the Spook told me.'
'But couldn't you have used it one more time after I warned you? Just to let me know that you were all right? Worried sick, I was. Your mam told me she was meeting you here when she contacted me with a mirror and asked me to join her. So I had to assume you were all right.'
I felt a little ashamed but tried to explain: 'I can't use a mirror, Alice. I've promised the Spook I won't.'
'But that's changed now, ain't it? You don't need to worry about Old Gregory any longer, do you? Going to Greece, I am, with you and your mam. We'll be together again at last. And I'm glad he decided not to come with us. Won't have him looking over our shoulder, will we?'
'Don't talk about the Spook like that!' I snapped angrily. 'He's worried about me. Worried that I'll be compromised and drawn towards the dark. That the Fiend will win me over to his side. That's why he won't let me have any contact with you, Alice. He's trying to protect me. Anyway,' I continued, 'how do you know he's not coming? Were you spying on us?'
'Oh, Tom, when will you learn that there's not much I don't know?'
'So you were spying.'
'No, actually. Didn't need to. It wasn't hard to work out what was going on when we all saw him storming back to Chipenden.'
For a moment, despite my hot words, the thought struck me that if the Spook stayed home in Chipenden, then there really was nothing to stop me being with Alice. But I felt another strong pang of guilt and dismissed the idea instantly.
'Look, it'll be good on this journey, Tom. Your mam thinks differently to Old Gregory. She doesn't mind us being together and she still stands by what she said last year. That together we can defeat the Fiend—'
'Your own father, Alice!' I interrupted. 'I found out your dark secret. The Fiend is your own father, isn't he?'
Alice gasped and her eyes widened in surprise.
'How can you know that?'
'He told me himself!'
She looked shocked. 'Well, ain't no use denying it. But it weren't my secret, Tom. I didn't know until he visited me the night before Old Gregory sent me away. Terrified, I was, to be face to face with Old Nick, and it was even worse when he told me I was his daughter! Can you imagine what that was like? Thought I belonged to him. That I was on my way to Hell. Going to burn there for all eternity. I felt so weak in his presence that I had to do anything he told me. But as soon as I was back in Pendle, your mam contacted me using a mirror. Told me I was a lot stronger than I thought. Gave me new confidence, she did. I've come to terms with it, Tom. So I'm going to fight him. What else can I do but try?'
A mixture of thoughts and emotions churned within me. Mam and Alice had been in contact using mirrors in the past. Clearly it was still going on. And that made me very uneasy.
'I still can't believe that Mam's made an alliance with witches!' I said, gesturing at the campfires around us.
'But all of them witches are sworn enemies of the Fiend. Twenty-Five or more of 'em are coming with us. They know it was a big mistake to bring him through the portal, 'cos now he's trying to make 'em all do his bidding. So they're fighting back. Destroy the Ordeen and it's a big blow against the Fiend. Some from each of the main clans are coming with us. Your mam's organizing everything. It's just exactly as she wants it. Glad to be here again, I am, Tom, away from Pendle.'
Only last year the Malkins had abducted Jack and his family, Mam's own flesh and blood, but now here she was, commanding the Malkins and the other Pendle witches, forming an alliance with them to help bring victory. It was hard to take in. And then there was Alice – what had she been up to back in Pendle? Had she moved closer to the dark again?
'What was it like back there?' I asked. 'Where did you stay?'
'Mostly with Agnes Sowerbutts. Tried to keep away from the others but it ain't been easy.'
Agnes was her aunt – a Deane who lived on the far edge of the clan village and kept herself to herself. She used a mirror to see what was going on in the world, but was a healer and certainly not a malevolent witch; bad as Pendle was, Alice had stayed at the best possible place. But what did she mean by 'the others'?