Free Spook's: The Dark Army (The Starblade Chronicles) by Joseph Delaney Page A

stand this. It was plainly wrong, a spook taking orders from a witch!
    ‘Do you think I can bear to see women enslaved and maltreated by the Kobalos?’ Grimalkin shouted. She and Tom were standing face to face now, their noses just inches apart. ‘Do you expect me to stand by and see more slaves taken as city after city falls under the yoke of our enemies? No, it shall not be! I will destroy the Kobalos forces and pull down the walls of Valkarky until all is a frozen wasteland and not one of the creatures lives! And
you
will play the part that I have shaped for you!’
    ‘No!’ Tom snapped angrily, his own voice raised for the first time. ‘I have been shaped and controlled by you! You brought me here without explaining what would be involved. All along you planned to pit me against the Shaiksa assassin but didn’t tell me until we reached the river. You never thought fit to warn me and let me make up my own mind about it. You led me into danger – into
death
– completely blind. I never asked to be a part of this. I need to be back in the County, fighting the dark in my own way. I’ve taken on an apprentice and my duty is to train her properly. That’s what I intend to do. I’ll spend my winter doing exactly that.’
    Grimalkin let out a deep sigh and spoke again, her voice low. ‘For most of my life I have been motivated by vengeance,’ she explained. ‘I have only truly loved once. I have cared for others and been deeply hurt by their loss, but not totally devastated as I was when the Fiend slew the child who was at the centre of my life. I failed to protect that child, but with the help of others, particularly you,’ she went on, nodding at Tom, ‘I helped bring about the destruction of the Fiend. That was something that shaped me; that made me what I am. So I too have been forged into a weapon on an anvil of pain. Now I recognize that I was born for a specific purpose – to destroy the Kobalos. We will win in the end – I promise you that, whether you choose to help or not. But you have disappointed me. I expected more of you.’
    Tom sighed, his expression resigned. Now, once again, I feared that he would yield to her will. But then that determination I’d seen in the Tom of old came back.
    ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help you this time. I’ll travel back with Jenny tomorrow. If you still wish it, I’ll return in the spring.’ He turned to me. ‘I’ll see you in the stables just before dawn. Don’t be late.’
    Then he left, closing the door behind him, leaving me alone with Grimalkin. I looked at her fearfully, but she simply gave a sigh to match Tom’s and then smiled at me.
    ‘You look tired, child. Get yourself to bed. Things will seem better in the morning.’
    I was surprised by how pleasant Grimalkin was being. I would have expected her to be angry and snap at me.
    I took her advice. No sooner had my head touched the pillow than I fell into a deep sleep.
    Suddenly I was in the grip of what seemed like a terrible nightmare. The room was in total darkness and someone was pinning me to the bed. I fought to get free, but it was useless – I was being held in an iron grip.
    All at once I realized that it wasn’t a nightmare after all; it was really happening to me. I was on my back and someone was stuffing something into my mouth – it felt like a ball of cloth. I began to cough and choke.
    Then I felt two fingers being pushed up into my nostrils and my head was filled with a stinging, burning sensation. I couldn’t breathe, and I panicked, bucking and twisting, trying in vain to escape. But I couldn’t get free – and then, suddenly, the fingers were removed.
    I could breathe again, but I felt strange and light-headed, as if my soul was drifting away from my body into an ocean of darkness. It was as if I didn’t care what happened to me; nothing mattered any more.
    Then I was lifted up and slung over somebody’s shoulder. I heard a door close somewhere behind me, then footsteps