Free The Spook 9 - Slither's tale by Delaney Joseph Page A

sight. Together we drew away from the remainder who, without their leader, soon tired of the chase and were left far behind, wandered aimlessly, howling up at the invisible moon.
    When the wolf was almost upon me, I turned to meet it. We both charged, fur against fur, teeth snarling, to roll over and over in the deep snow, gripping each other in a death-lock. The wolf bit deep into my shoulder, but to me the pain was nothing; with my own teeth, I savaged its throat, tearing away the flesh so that its blood spurted forth bright red upon the white snow.
    I drank deeply while the huge animal twitched beneath me in its death throes. Not a drop of the hot sweet thick blood did I waste. When my thirst was sated, I drew a blade and cut off the beast’s head, tail and legs and, walking upright, carried its body across my shoulders, back to the ruin of the farmhouse.
    Close to the fire, while the girls watched with wide eyes, I skinned and gutted the wolf, then cut it into small pieces and buried them in the hot embers to cook.
    All three sisters ate their fill that night, and only Susan complained, whimpering as she struggled to chew the half-burned, half-cooked meat. But she was quickly silenced by Nessa, who understood that I had given them the hope of life.
    Just before dawn I fed the fire with wood, and as I did so, Nessa awoke. She came to sit opposite me so that our eyes locked across the flames. Strangely she didn’t seem quite so skinny tonight. Her neck was particularly inviting and my mouth watered so that I was forced to swallow.
    ‘I don’t like it here,’ she said. ‘I keep getting a sense that something is watching us. I heard a noise too, like a small shower of falling stones. It could be a dangerous boggart. Perhaps this is its lair.’
    ‘What is a boggart?’ I demanded, filled with curiosity.
    ‘It’s a malevolent spirit. Some throw rocks or even big boulders. They are dangerous and can kill people.’
    ‘How would you deal with such an entity?’ I demanded.
    ‘I wouldn’t even try,’ Nessa said. ‘But far to the south across the sea it is rumoured that there are spooks – men who are capable of dealing with such things.’
    From what she described, it was likely that ‘boggart’ was the human term for bychon. But in all my years of learning I had never heard of their spooks. I wondered what kind of magic they used.
    ‘Well, worry not, little Nessa – a spook is not needed here. In dark places there are often invisible things that linger and watch. But you are safe with me.’
    ‘How much longer before we can travel on?’ she asked. ‘And why are we going north?’
    ‘Perhaps we’ll be able to leave at dawn tomorrow, or by the afternoon at the latest,’ I answered. ‘But without grain the horses won’t get far. There is oscher in the small sacks, which will give them strength for a little while – before it kills them. You’ll be eating horseflesh before the week is out. It’s easier to chew than wolf, so perhaps your sister will not complain so much. Eventually, in order to survive, we might have to eat one of your two sisters – Susan would be best because she’s bigger, with more meat on her bones.’
    Nessa gasped. ‘How can you even think such a horrible thing?’
    ‘Because it is better for one to die so that the others may live. It is the way of the Kobalos world, so you might as well get used to it, little Nessa.’
    ‘What about your promise!’ she exclaimed. ‘You agreed to take my sisters to safety.’
    ‘I did, and I will strive with all the powers at my command to keep to my trade with your poor father.’
    Nessa was silent for a moment, but then she stared right into my eyes. ‘If it proves necessary, eat me rather than one of my sisters.’
    Once again I found myself surprised by her bravery – but, ‘I will be unable to oblige,’ I told her. ‘You see, only you belong to me, and I would not waste my own chattel. Anyway, let us talk more of such things if