Joseph Delaney - Rise of the Huntress

Illustrated by David Wyatt

The Bodley Head
London

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Version 1.0

Epub ISBN 9781407076201

www.randomhouse.co.uk

THE SPOOKS NIGHTMARE
A BODLEY HEAD BOOK 978 0 370 32981 9

Published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books A Random House Group Company

This edition published 2010

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Copyright Joseph Delaney, 2010
Illustrations copyright David Wyatt, 2010

The right of Joseph Delaney to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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To Marie

BOOK ONE:

THE SPOOKS APPRENTICE

BOOK TWO:

THE SPOOKS CURSE

BOOK THREE:

THE SPOOKS SECRET

BOOK FOUR:

THE SPOOKS BATTLE

BOOK FIVE:

THE SPOOKS MISTAKE

BOOK SIX:

THE SPOOKS SACRIFICE

BOOK SEVEN:

THE SPOOKS NIGHTMARE

Tom

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he was born with certain gifts gifts that make him perfect for the role of the Spooks apprentice. He can see and hear the dead and he is a natural enemy of the dark. But that doesnt stop Tom getting scared, and he is going to need all his courage if he is to succeed where twenty-nine others have failed.

The Spook

The Spook is an unmistakable figure. Hes tall, and rather fierce looking. He wears a long black cloak and hood, and always carries a staff and a silver chain. Like his apprentice, Tom, he is left-handed, and is a seventh son of a seventh son.

For over sixty years he has protected the County from things that go bump in the night.

Alice

Tom cant decide if Alice is good or evil. She terrifies the local village lads, is related to two of the most evil witch clans (the Malkins and the Deanes) and has been known to use dark magic. But she was trained as a witch against her will and has helped Tom out of some tight spots. She seems to be a loyal friend, but can she be trusted?

Mam

Toms mam always knew he would become the Spooks apprentice. She called him her gift to the County. A loving mother and an expert on plants, medicine and childbirth, Mam was always a little different. Her origins in Greece were a mystery. In fact, there were quite a few mysterious things about Mam...

T HE HIGHEST POINT IN THE COUNTY
IS MARKED BY MYSTERY .
I T IS SAID THAT A MAN DIED THERE IN A
GREAT STORM, WHILE BINDING AN EVIL
THAT THREATENED THE WHOLE WORLD .
T HEN THE ICE CAME AGAIN, AND WHEN IT
RETREATED, EVEN THE SHAPES OF THE
HILLS AND THE NAMES OF THE TOWNS
IN THE VALLEYS CHANGED .
N OW, AT THAT HIGHEST POINT ON
THE FELLS, NO TRACE REMAINS OF WHAT
WAS DONE SO LONG AGO,
BUT ITS NAME HAS ENDURED.
THEY CALL IT

T HE W ARDSTONE .

T he Spook, Alice and I were crossing the Long Ridge on our way back to Chipenden, with the three wolfhounds, Claw, Blood and Bone, barking excitedly at our heels.

The first part of the climb had been pleasant enough. It had rained all afternoon but was now a clear, cloud-less late autumn evening with just a slight chilly breeze ruffling our hair: perfect weather for walking. I remember thinking how peaceful it all seemed.

But at the summit a big shock awaited us. There was dark smoke far to the north beyond the fells. It looked like Caster was burning. Had the war finally reached us? I wondered fearfully.

Years earlier, an alliance of enemy nations had invaded our land far to the south. Since then, despite the best efforts of the combined counties to hold the line, they had been slowly pushing north.

How can they have advanced so far without us knowing? the Spook asked, scratching at his beard, clearly agitated. Surely thered have been news some warning at least?

It might just be a raiding party from the sea, I suggested. That was very likely. Enemy boats had come ashore before and attacked settlements along the coast though this part of the County had been spared so far.

Shaking his head, the Spook set off down the hill at a furious pace. Alice gave me a worried smile and we hurried along in pursuit. Encumbered by my staff and both our bags, I was struggling to keep up on the slippery wet grass. But I knew what was bothering my master. He was anxious about his library. Looting and burning had been reported in the south and he was worried about the safety of his books, a store of knowledge accumulated by generations of spooks.