The Spook’s Sacrifice

Book No: 06 of 13

As the Spook’s apprentice, Tom’s first duty is to protect the County from the dark. But now Mam needs his help in her homeland of Greece. One of the most dangerous of the Old Gods, the Ordeen, is about to return there bringing slaughter and devastation.
Mam has summoned a powerful group to her side, but among them are Tom’s old enemies, the Pendle witches. Can Tom go against all the Spook has taught him and ally himself with witches? What is the secret that Mam is keeping from him? And what sacrifices must be made in the battle against the dark?

Extract 1

“Witches, Mam? We’ve made an alliance with witches?”
“I know you’ll find it hard because of what your master’s taught you,” Mam said, laying a hand on my shoulder, “but we can’t live without them. It’s as simple as that. And we have to win, we really do.”

Extract 2

“What did you cry?” I interrupted. Mab had already proved that she really could use a mirror to look into the future. I was concerned. What had she seen regarding Alice?
“I saw Alice Deane die!” Mab said, her eyes smiling with pleasure. “A feral lamia witch had her in its mouth. Dragged her down into its dark lair, then sucked out all her blood until her heart stopped.”

Extract 3

“Your mother is relying on you to carry through her doomed scheme,” The Fiend continued. “Do you want to know what part you’re to play in this foolishness?”
“I trust Mam,” I told him. “I’m her son and I’ll do whatever she wants.”
“Whatever? That’s generous, Tom. Very generous indeed. But you’ll need to be generous – extremely generous – because she needs a lot from you. Your life no less. On your fifteenth birthday you are to be sacrificed in order to fulfil her desperate need for victory.”
“You’re lying!” I shouted, shaking with anger. “Mam loves me. She loves all her children. She wouldn’t do that.”

Author’s Comments:

I always intended to reintroduce Mam and explain exactly what she is. So here are the answers and, additionally, it’s the first time we travel to a location beyond the County. I visited Greece over ten years ago – a tour of the classical sites on a coach! It made me never want to visit a museum again but there were some spectacular locations, particularly Meteora with its monasteries perched on high pinnacles of rock. So they went into this book.