Free Spook’s: I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney Page B

in agony.
    ‘The first of my enemies came into sight at dusk, picking her way slowly across the marsh grass. As a witch, I have many skills and talents. One of these proved very useful then. It is a gift that we share, Thorne. As an enemy approaches, we instantly know their worth; their strength and ability in combat. The witch crossing the marsh towards me was competent, but not of the first order. No doubt her abilities as a tracker, which also enabled her to penetrate my dark magical cloak, had brought this one to me first.
    ‘I waited until she was close, then showed myself to her. I was standing on that small hill, clearly outlined against the fading red of the western sky. She ran towards me, clasping blades in each hand. She did not weave from side to side; made no attempt to present a difficult target. It was me or her. One of us would die. So I pulled my favourite throwing knife from my belt and hurled it at her. My aim was good. It took her in the throat. She made a small gurgling noise, dropped to her knees and fell face down in the marsh grass.
    ‘Yes, child, she was the first human being I had ever killed, and there was a momentary pang in my chest. But it quickly passed as I concentrated on ensuring my own survival. I hid her body under a shelf of grass tussocks, pushing her down into the mud. I did not take her heart. We had faced each other in combat and she had lost honourably. One night that witch would return from the dead, crawling across the marsh in search of prey. As she posed no further threat to me, I would not deny her that.’
    ‘If I die before you,’ Thorne said, ‘promise me that you will take my heart. I prefer to go directly into the dark. I don’t want to linger on as a dead witch, shuffling around the dell, waiting for pieces of my body to fall off.’
    I nodded. ‘If that is your wish I will not deny you. But if I die first, leave my heart intact. Hunting from the dell is better than suffering eternal torment in the dark at the hands of the Fiend. If we do not destroy him, one day he will be waiting for me – and for you too now, Thorne. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?’
    Thorne shook her head. ‘We will find a way to destroy him, and then we can go safely into the dark, where we belong. One day I will be reborn into a new body: I will become a witch assassin once more and try to surpass all that I have achieved in this life!’
    I smiled. Witches returned not only as dead vampiric creatures; they could sometimes also be reincarnated into a brand-new body and live a second or even third life.
    ‘Now complete your story, please,’ urged Thorne. ‘They sent others after you, didn’t they?’
    I nodded. ‘Yes. I waited almost three days for the next to find me. There were two, and they arrived together. We fought as the sun went down. I remember how it coloured the river red; it looked as if it was filled with blood rather than water. I was young, strong and fast, but they were veterans of such fights and knew tricks that I had not even imagined, never mind en countered. They hurt me badly, and the scars of those wounds mark my body to this day, but I learned much during that fight. The struggle lasted over an hour and it was very close , but at last victory was mine and the bodies of two more Deanes went into the marsh.
    ‘It was almost three weeks before I was fit to travel, but in that time they sent no more avengers after me. The trail had gone cold and it was unlikely that anyone would have recognized me that night when I stabbed the Fiend.’
    ‘Even to this day, the Deanes don’t know that it was you, do they?’ Thorne asked.
    ‘That’s true, child – you are the only one I’ve told this tale to. Let’s hope they never find out or my days as a witch assassin would be over. I would be hunted down by a whole clan. They would never forget.’

A witch assassin of necessity walks alone. The allies she makes are few in number; thus they are valued highly,