The Spook's Nightmare Read Online Free Page B

Spook nodded thoughtfully. ‘You could be right, girl. Refugees are rarely welcome anywhere. It just means extra mouths to feed. And a lot of folks will have fled the County and headed for Mona. There’s Ireland further to the west, but it’s a much longer journey and I’d prefer to stay as close to home as possible. If things are difficult, we could always head west later.’
    As we approached the island, the waves became less choppy, but the drizzle was heavier now, and blowing straight into our faces. The weather and the green rolling hills ahead reminded me of the County. It was almost like coming home.
    The fisherman put us ashore on the south-east of the island, tying his boat briefly to a wooden jetty that jutted out over a rocky shore. The three dogs leaped off the boat in turn, happy to be back on dry land, but we followed more slowly, our joints stiff after being confined in the boat for so long. It was just minutesbefore the fisherman put out to sea again. Silent and grim on the voyage across, now he was almost smiling. His debt to the Spook was paid and he was glad to see the back of us.
    At the end of the jetty we saw four local fishermen sitting under a wooden shelter mending their nets; they watched us draw near with narrowed hostile eyes. My master was in the lead, his hood up against the rain, and he nodded in their direction. He got just one response: three of the men kept their eyes averted and continued with their work; the fourth spat onto the shingle.
    ‘Right, wasn’t I? We ain’t welcome here, Tom,’ Alice said. ‘Should have sailed further west to Ireland!’
    ‘Well, we’re here now, Alice, and we’ll just have to make the best of it,’ I told her.
    We advanced up the beach until we came to a narrow muddy path, which ran uphill between a dozen small thatched cottages, then disappeared into a wood. As we passed the last doorway, a man came down out of the trees and barred our path. He was carrying astout wooden cudgel. Claw bounded forward and growled at the stranger threateningly, her black fur bristling.
    ‘Call the dog back, lad. I’ll deal with this!’ the Spook shouted over his shoulder.
    ‘Claw! Here – good girl!’ I called, and reluctantly she came back to my side. I knew that even by herself, she was well able to deal with a man carrying only a club for a weapon.
    The stranger had a tanned weather-beaten face and, despite the chilly damp, had his sleeves rolled up above his elbows. He was thick-set and muscular, with an edge of authority about him, and I didn’t think he was a fisherman. And then I saw that he was actually wearing a military uniform: a tight brown leather jerkin with a symbol on the shoulder – three running legs in a circle; legs that wore armour. Under it was a Latin inscription: QUOCUNQUE JECERIS SABIT . I suspected that he was one of the island’s yeomen.
    ‘You’re not welcome here!’ he told the Spook with a hostile glare, raising his club threateningly. ‘You shouldhave stayed in your own land. We’ve enough mouths of our own to feed!’
    ‘We’d little choice but to leave it,’ said the Spook mildly. ‘Enemy soldiers burned my house and we were in peril of our lives. All we ask is to stay here for a short while until it’s safe to return. We come prepared to work and earn our keep as best we can.’
    The man lowered his club and nodded. ‘You’ll work all right, if you’re given the chance – just as hard as all the others. So far, most seeking refuge from the County have been coming ashore at Douglas, to the north. But we knew some would try to sneak in like you lot, so we’ve been keeping watch,’ he said, looking first at the Spook and then at me. I saw him note our distinctive hooded cloaks, then our staffs and bags. Even those on Mona would recognize the garb and accessories of our trade.
    Next he studied Alice, looking down at her pointy shoes, and I saw his eyes widen. He quickly crossed himself. ‘What’s a spook doing in