But small as he was, I knew that Tibb -was incredibly strong. Father Stocks had been unable to fight him off, and No-well had been murdered by him. Both victims had still been in the prime of life.The Spook approached Tibb cautiously, and I heard a click as he released the blade from its recess in the end of his staff. At the sound Tibb stretched out his arms, unsheathed his claws, and lifted his head, turning its left side upward to face us. It was the head that sent a particular chill of horror down my spine. It was completely hairless and smooth, and the eyes were cold, like those of a dead fish, the open mouth revealing thin needlelike teeth. For a moment I expected Tibb to leap at the Spook, but instead the creature gave a groan of anguish."You've arrived too late," Tibb said. "My mistress has abandoned me, leaving me to die. So many things I've seen. So many.But not my own death. That's the last thing that any of us see!"Aye," said the Spook, readying his blade. "I hold your death in my hands…"

But Tibb just laughed bitterly. "No," he hissed. "I'mdying even as you speak. My mistress never told me just how short my life would be. Nine short weeks in all. That's all I've had. Howcan that be right? Nine weeks from birth to old age and death.Now I lack even the strength to raise my body from this cold floor.So save your strength, old man. You need it for yourself. Precious Little time remains to you either. But the boy who stands at yourside may carry on your doomed work. That's if he lives beyond the new moon -"Where is Wurmalde now?" demanded the Spook."Gone! Gone! Gone to a place where you will never find her. Not until it's too late. Soon my mistress will summon the Fiend through the dark portal into this world. For two days he will do her bidding. That done, he will choose hid own path. Do you knowwhat task she has set? What price the Fiend must pay for whatmy mistress gives him?"

The Spook sighed wearily but didn't bother to reply. I saw his hands twitch on the staff. He was readying himself to slay the creature."The death of this boy did the task. He must die because he is his mother's son. The don of our enemy. Once, in a distant land, she wad an immortal like my mistress and wielded dark power. But she faltered. Dedpite many warnings, she reached toward the light. So she was bound to a rock and left to die-left there to be destroyed by the sun, the very symbol of the light she wished to serve. But, by mischance, a human saved her. A fool freed her from her chaind -" "My dad was no fool!" I interrupted. "He was good and kind and couldn't bear to see her suffer. He wouldn't have allowed anybody to suffer like that."Better for you, boy, had he passed on by. For then you wouldnever have been born. Never have lived your short, futile life! Butdo you think that merely by being rescued she wad changed for ever? Far from it! For a while she wad in torment, not knowingwhich way to go, dithering between darkness and light. Old habitsdie hard, and gradually the dark drew her back. So she wad given a second chance and commanded to slay her rescuer, but she prayed, disobeyed, and turned to the light once more. Those who serve the light are hard upon thenselves. To make up for what she had done, she gave herself a cruel penance: She surrendered her immortality. But that was only half of it. She chose to give her youth, the best part of her pitifully short life, to her rescuer. She gave herself to a mortal man, a common sailor, and chose to bearhim seven sons."

"Seven sons 'who loved her!" I cried. "She was happy. She was content-"Happy! Happy! Do you think happiness corned do easily? Imagine what it must have been Like for one who wad once do high to serve a mortal man and hid brood, the stench of the farmyardever in her nostrils. To share hid bed while bid flesh withered with age. To deal with the tedium of the everyday routine. She regretted it, but at Last his death had freed her, ending her self-inflictedpenance, and now she has returned to her own land."No' I said. "It wasn't like that at all! She loved my dad."Love," sneered Tibb. "Love Love is a delusion that binds mortals to their fated. And now your mother had risked all in a bid to destroywhat my mistress holds dear. She wants to destroy the darkness, and she had fashioned you ad her weapon. So you must never beallowed to grow up into a man. We must put an end to you."Aye," said the Spook, raising his staff, "and now it's time to put an end to you."Have mercy," pleaded Tibb. "I need a Little more time. Letme die in peace."

"What mercy did you show to Master Nowell?" demanded the Spook. "So what you gave to him, I'll give to you -"I turned away as the Spook stabbed downward. Tibb gave a short scream that transmuted itself into the squealing of a pig. There was a brief snuffling and then silence. Still not looking at the creature, I followed my master up the steps and back into the study."Nowell's body will have to stay unburied for a while' the Spook said, shaking his head sadly. "No doubt poor Father Stocks is still upstairs, and maybe we'll never find out what happened to Constable Barnes. As for Wurmalde, from what that creature just said, she could be anywhere, and we haven't time to just search blindly. We've still got the witch covens to deal with, so let's start by getting back to the tower. James should return soon with the men from Downham. We can't deal with the witches alone. We need to raise a small army and get ourselves organized. Time's running short."The Spook paused by Nowell's desk. It wasn't locked, and he started to search the drawers. Within moments he held up my silver chain."Here you are, lad," he said, throwing it toward me. "No doubt you'll be needing this before very long." We left Read Hall and set off in a heavy downpour for Malkin Tower, the things that Tibb had said going around and around inside my head.Wet and bedraggled, we made the journey through the tunnels without mishap. Then, as we prepared to climb the spiral steps up into the tower, I turned to the Spook, wanting to get a few things off my chest.

"Do you think what Tibb said was true?" I asked."Which bits are you referring to, lad?" asked the Spook gruffly. "The creature belonged to the dark, and that makes anything it said dubious, to say the least. As you well know, the dark deceives whenever it is to its advantage to do so. It said it was dying, but how could I be sure that was the case? That's why I had to kill it there and then. It might have seemed cruel, but it was my duty. I had no choice."I mean the bit about my mam once being like Wurmalde -being an immortal? As mam's sisters are lamias, I thought she'd be the same." "No doubt she is, lad. But what does being an immortal actually mean? This world itself will end one day. Maybe even the stars themselves will go out. No, I don't believe that anything lives forever in this world, and nothing with any sense would want to. But lamias live a very long time. In their human form they may seem to age, but once feral again they become young once more. They could have many lifetimes in human shape, and start out each time looking like a young woman. One day we may find out what that creature meant. Maybe it lied. Maybe it didn't. As your mam said, the answers are in those trunks, and one day, if all goes well, you'll maybe get a chance to look through them properly."

"But what about the Fiend coming through the portal? What is a portal anyway? "It's a sort of invisible gate. A weakness between this world and the places where creatures such as the Fiend dwell. Using dark magic, the witches will try to open it and allow the Fiend through. We'll just have to do our best to put a stop to it," said the Spook, his voice echoing up the steps. "We need to break up the Lammas sabbath and halt the ritual. Of course, that's much easier said than done. But, even if we fail, your mother's made provision. That's why she left you that room -"But would I have time to get there if the Fiend's been ordered to hunt me down and kill me? It's a long -way home."Things loosed into the world often take time to gather their wits and gain power. Remember how the Priestown Bane was disorientated for a while? Once freed into the wider world, it was weakened at first and grew in power slowly. Well, I suspect this so-called Fiend may have the same problem. You'd get some time-how much, it's impossible to say. But if I do give the word, get yourself home just as soon as you can and take refuge in that room of yours."There -was something else Tibb said that bothers me," I said. "Something he said when I saw him for the first time. He said that Mam was singing a goat song and I -was at its center. What could that mean?"You should have been able to work that out for your- self, lad. In your mam's tongue, the "word tragos means goat. And oide means ode or story. So a goat song is a tragedy. That's where we get the word from. And if you're at its center, Tibb is saying that your life will be tragic-wasted and doomed to failure. But it's best to look on the bright side and take all that with a pinch of salt. Each day we make decisions that shape our lives. I still can't accept the idea that anything can be preordained. No matter how powerful the dark becomes, we have to believe that, somehow, we'll defeat it. Look up there, lad! What do you see?"Steps leading to the upper part of the tower…" "Aye, lad, steps-and a lot of them! But we're going to climb them, aren't we? Weary as my old bones are, we're going to climb every one of those steps until -we reach the upper floor and the waiting light. And that's what life's all about. So come on! Let's get on with it!"So saying, the Spook led the way up the spiral steps and I followed at his heels. Up toward the light.