The Spook was out of breath with walking and this gave me a chance to get the first word in.

The Quisitor’s here,’ I told him.

The Spook nodded. ‘Aye, lad, he’s here all right. I was standing on the opposite side of the road but you were too busy gawping at the cart to notice me.’

‘But didn’t you see her? Alice was in the cart-’

‘Alice? Alice who?’

‘Bony Lizzie’s niece. We have to help her…’

As I mentioned before, Bony Lizzie was a witch we’d dealt with in the spring. Now the Spook had her imprisoned in a pit, back in his garden in Chipenden.

‘Oh, that Alice. Well, you’d best forget her, lad, because there’s nothing to be done. The Quisitor has at least fifty armed men with him.’

‘But it’s not fair,’ I said, hardly able to believe that he could stay so calm. ‘Alice isn’t a witch.’

‘Little in this life is fair,’ the Spook replied. The truth is, none of them were witches. As you well know, a real witch would have sniffed the Quisitor coming from miles away.’

‘But Alice is my friend. I can’t leave her to die!’ I protested, feeling the anger rising inside me.

‘This is no time for sentiment. Our job is to protect people from the dark, not to get distracted by pretty girls.’

I was furious – especially as I knew the Spook himself had once been distracted by a pretty girl – and that one was a witch. ‘Alice helped save my family from Mother Malkin, remember!’

‘And why was Mother Malkin free in the first place, lad, answer me that!’

I hung my head in shame.

‘Because you got yourself mixed up with that girl,’ he continued, ‘and I don’t want it happening again. Especially not here in Priestown, with the Quisitor breathing down our necks. You’ll be putting your own life in danger – and mine. And keep your voice down. We don’t want to attract any unwelcome attention.’

I looked about me. But for us, the alley was deserted. A few people could be seen passing the entrance but they were some distance away and didn’t so much as glance in our direction. Beyond them I could see the rooftops at the far side of the market square and, rising above the chimneypots, the cathedral steeple. But when I spoke again, I did lower my voice.

‘What’s the Quisitor doing here anyway?’ I asked. ‘Didn’t you say that he did his work down south and only came north when he was sent for?’

“That’s mostly true but sometimes he mounts an expedition up north to the County and even beyond. Turns out that for the last few weeks he’s been sweeping the coast, picking up the poor dregs of humanity he had chained up in that cart.’

I was angry that he’d said Alice was one of the dregs because I knew it wasn’t true. It wasn’t the right time to continue the argument though, so I kept my peace.

‘But we’ll be safe enough in Chipenden,’ continued the Spook. ‘He’s never yet ventured up towards the fells.’

‘Are we going home now then?’ I asked.

‘No, lad, not yet. I told you before, I’ve got unfinished business in this town.’

My heart sank and I looked towards the alley entrance uneasily. People were still scurrying past, going about their business, and I could hear some stallholders calling out the price of their wares. But although there was a lot of noise and bustle, we were thankfully out of sight. Despite that, I still felt uneasy. We were supposed to be keeping our distance from each other. The priest outside the cathedral had known the Spook. The housekeeper knew me. What if someone else walked down the alley and recognized us and we were both arrested? Many priests from County parishes would be in town and they’d know the Spook by sight. The only good news was that at the moment they were probably all still in the churchyard.

‘That priest you were talking to before, who was he? He seemed to know you so won’t he tell the Quisitor you’re here?’ I asked, wondering if anywhere was really safe. For all I knew that red-faced priest outside the cathedral could even direct the Quisitor to Chipenden. ‘Oh, and there’s something else. Your brother’s housekeeper recognized me at the funeral. She was really angry. She might tell somebody that we’re here.’

It seemed to me that we were taking a serious risk in staying in Priestown while the Quisitor was in the area.

‘Calm yourself, lad. The housekeeper won’t tell a soul. She and my brother weren’t exactly without sin themselves. And as for that priest,’ said the Spook with a faint smile, ‘that’s Father Cairns. He’s family, my cousin. A cousin who meddles and gets a bit excited at times but he means well all the same. He’s always trying to save me from myself and get me on the path of “righteousness”. But he’s wasting his breath. I’ve chosen my path – and right or wrong it’s the one I tread.’

At that moment I heard footsteps and my heart lurched into my mouth. Someone had turned into the alley and was walking directly towards us!

‘Anyway, talking of family,’ the Spook said, totally unconcerned, ‘here comes another member. This is my brother Andrew.’

A tall man with a thin body and sad, bony face was approaching us across the cobbles. He looked even older than the Spook and reminded me of a well-dressed scarecrow, for although he was wearing good quality boots and clean clothes, his garments flapped in the wind. He looked more in need of a good breakfast than I did.

Without bothering to brush away the beads of water, he sat on the wall on the other side of the Spook.

‘I thought I’d find you here. A sad business, brother,’ he said gloomily.

‘Aye,’ said the Spook. ‘There’s just the two of us left now. Five brothers dead and gone.’

‘John, I must tell you, the Quis-’

‘Yes, I know,’ said the Spook, an edge of impatience in his voice.

‘Then you must be going. It’s not safe for either of you here,’ said his brother, acknowledging me with a nod.

‘No, Andrew, we’re not going anywhere until I’ve done what needs to be done. So I’d like you to make me a special key again,’ the Spook told him. ‘For the gate.’

Andrew started. ‘Nay, John, don’t be a fool,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I wouldn’t have come here if I’d known you wanted that. Have you forgotten the curse?’

‘Hush,’ said the Spook. ‘Not in front of the boy. Keep your silly superstitious nonsense to yourself.’

‘Curse?’ I asked, suddenly curious.

‘See what you’ve done?’ my master hissed angrily to his brother. ‘It’s nothing,’ he said, turning to me. ‘I don’t believe in such rubbish and neither should you.’

‘Well, I’ve buried one brother today,’ said Andrew. ‘Get yourself home now, before I find myself burying another. The Quisitor would love to get his hands on the County Spook. Get back to Chipenden while you still can.’

‘I’m not leaving, Andrew, and that’s final. I’ve got a job to do here, Quisitor or no Quisitor,’ the Spook said firmly. ‘So are you going to help or not?’

‘That’ss not the point, and you know it!’ Andrew insisted. ‘I’ve always helped you before, haven’t I? When have I ever let you down? But this is madness. You risk burning just by being here. This isn’t the time to meddle with that thing again,’ he said, gesturing towards the alley entrance and raising his eyes towards the steeple. ‘And think of the boy – you can’t drag him into this. Not now. Come back again in the spring when the Quisitor’s gone and we’ll talk again. You’d be a fool to attempt anything now. You can’t take on the Bane and the Quisitor – you’re not a young man, nor a well one by the looks of you.’

As they spoke, I looked up at the steeple myself. I suspected that it could be seen from almost anywhere in the town and that the whole town was also visible from the steeple. There were four small windows right near the top, just below the cross. From there you’d be able to see every rooftop in Priestown, most of the streets and a lot of the people, including us.

The Spook had told me that the Bane could use people, get inside their heads and peer out through their eyes. I shivered, wondering if one of the priests was up there now, the Bane using him to watch us from the darkness inside the spire.