Spook's: The Dark Army (The Starblade Chronicles) by Joseph Delaney Page B

We will fight magic with magic.’
    ‘Then why didn’t you bring them with us this time?’ I asked. A raid using witches rather than ordinary soldiers might have been more effective. After all, the objective was to seize magical knowledge and witches had expertise in dark magic. They would probably have been more than a match for Lenklewth.
    ‘I tried to persuade them but they wouldn’t listen,’ Grimalkin told me. ‘In that respect they are like the County troops – a threat in a far distant land will not move them. But if I can seize some of the magical secrets in that kulad and demonstrate what we face, then they will change their minds.’
    I sat there in silence, mulling over what she had said. All I could hear was the sighing of the wind and the breathing of the horses.
    ‘I hope Jenny’s safe,’ I muttered.
    The witch assassin closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and held it, her brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly she breathed out and opened her eyes. ‘Yes, she is alive and safe at the moment,’ she said.
    ‘You’ve scryed that?’ I asked.
    Grimalkin shook her head. ‘It is a spell called
sympathy
,’ she replied. ‘It links the child and me but it does not last long and is already beginning to fade. But in any case, we will join up with her and Prince Kaylar soon.’
    ‘It’s getting colder,’ I remarked, starting to shiver.
    ‘This is nothing compared to what we might eventually have to endure,’ Grimalkin said. ‘We face a dark army far greater than the Kobalos forces and larger than the terrible battle-entities they have created. This army, led by their new god Talkus, includes other gods who support them – deities such as Golgoth, the Lord of Winter, who wishes to blast the green from the Earth and create a road of ice along which their warriors may glide to victory. It may not be long before he moves against us.’ Her expression was grim, and I shivered again.
    Soon after that we retreated into the tent. I wrapped myself in my blanket and fell asleep within moments of closing my eyes. I awoke only once in the night – to the sound of Grimalkin gnashing her teeth and talking in a language I’d never heard before. But even that didn’t keep me awake for long.
    I soon found myself in a dream in which I was walking across the fells with my master, John Gregory. He was pointing out various places in the valley, telling me their names. I was happy and keen to learn – and it was with a deep sense of sadness, shock and loss that I awoke to the realization that he was dead and I’d never see him again.
    We continued across the Plain of Erestaba at a steady pace. The day was bright and clear, with a chill wind blowing from the north. We sent scouts ahead, but they saw no sign of the enemy or of the patrol led by Prince Kaylar. Grimalkin long-sniffed for future danger; she could detect nothing directly ahead but she still seemed ill at ease.
    The Pendle witches used spells of cloaking to hide both themselves and their possessions from others. The Kobalos mages could probably do the same, or use another form of defensive magic. Grimalkin feared that all might not be as safe as it seemed . . .
    Mid-morning on the second day, as planned, we turned westwards and advanced quickly towards the kulad. I had expected to have encountered Prince Kaylar and his patrol by now but there was no sign of them. I hoped Jenny was all right.
    Early in the afternoon we halted for just half an hour to eat – though the army remained in formation, ready to proceed at a moment’s notice.
    I’d been briefed by Grimalkin for a short meeting with the princes. All I had to do was explain her plan as if it were my own. I was physically tired from the ride but I was still mentally alert.
    We formed a small circle, each prince attended by two or three servants. I began by greeting each prince in turn before issuing ‘my’ orders. The more I did this, the easier it became to act as a leader. I