Wardstone 7 - The Spook's Nightmare by Joseph Delaney

and how it had vanished. ‘But Alice is missing,’ I continued. ‘When you were down, the buggane was about to charge you again and she distracted it. She saved your life. That’s the last I saw of her. Maybe the shaman’s got her? That was the shaman next to the daemon, wasn’t it?’
    ‘Most likely it was, lad – especially as he vanished like that. But don’t worry about the girl. She can look after herself. If she’s got any sense she’ll put some distance between herself and the buggane. And so should we.’
    ‘But what if the shaman feeds her to the buggane?’
    The Spook didn’t answer but we both knew he might well do that. After all, the abhuman had sniffed Alice and found darkness within her. But there wassomething more immediate that put a terrible fear into my heart. She was now beyond the protection of the blood jar.
    Despite the Spook’s warnings of the risks, I insisted on searching the area but found nothing, and finally I was forced to abandon it.
    I was scared for Alice – there was a lump in my throat as I left, following my master. The Fiend might appear at any time and take his revenge. He could slay Alice and drag her soul off into the dark for ever.
    Back at the camp, racked by fears for Alice, I found it impossible to sleep. I thought dawn would never arrive, but at last morning came – a bright, beautiful one, totally unsuited to my mood.
    The day started badly. No sooner was I up and about than I realized that the dogs were missing. Of Claw, Blood and Bone there was no sign – nor did they answer my call. They were generally obedient and it was unusual for them to wander off for so long. Was it the shaman’s doing?
    There was no real breakfast – just a nibble of cheese. Everyone was in a sombre mood, and Simon Sulby in particular was desperate to do something, aware that each day that passed increased the danger to Adriana.
    ‘I can’t just sit around here!’ he said, his voice filled with anguish. ‘What if you fail again tonight?’
    ‘I can guarantee nothing,’ the Spook replied, clearly irritated, ‘but I’ll tell you one thing – go off alone in some foolish attempt to rescue her from that keep and there’ll be one more person in those dungeons, ready to feed to the buggane. And that’ll be you!’
    ‘I might have little hope of rescuing Adriana, but there’s one other thing I could do. I could walk to St John’s and appeal to the Tynwald.’
    ‘The Tynwald?’ I asked. ‘Is that the island’s Ruling Council?’
    Simon shook his head. ‘No, it’s the Parliament, an elected body, but they appoint the Council and have the power to overrule them. They’ll be meeting in a few days in St John’s – the village by the witch tower where they imprisoned you. The Tynwaldcould order Lord Barrule to free Adriana.’
    ‘Are they likely to listen to you?’
    ‘They’ll listen, though they rarely interfere once the Council is appointed. But what else can I do? Citizens have a right to be heard by the Tynwald. Adriana’s not a witch and never was. She understands birds – that’s all. It’s a special talent and it worries some people. Why do things have to be like this? Why do people like Barrule make life so hard for others? Adriana and I just want to get married, have children and be happy. Is that too much to ask? I know one thing for sure: without her my life would be over. I couldn’t live without her.’
    The Spook shook his head sadly and said nothing for a while. ‘Look,’ he said at last, ‘just give it one more night. If we can put an end to the buggane tonight, it takes her out of any immediate danger.’
    Simon didn’t respond. He didn’t look convinced.
    ‘Do you think the shaman did capture Alice?’ I asked my master. I was sad for Simon and concerned about Adriana, but the plight of Alice was uppermost in my mind.
    ‘Could well be, lad. He might have lured her away somehow by using dark magic, but he couldn’t have physically carried her