Alice by Delaney Joseph Page B

her head. I breathed a sigh of relief.
    ‘I’m tempted, but I’ve decided it’s not worth the risk, girl. Do you know what the biggest danger is?’
    I thought for a moment, and then the answer came to me. ‘The dogs,’ I said. ‘If we cross the moat, they’ll get our scent. Arkwright would be able to use those big dogs to hunt us down!’
    For a minute Lizzie seemed almost proud of me. ‘That he would, girl. If those wolfhounds can follow the trail of our slimy sisters across a marsh, they’d have no trouble at all finding us. And we need to stay here until our business is done.’
    With that, Lizzie turned her back on the mill and led us along a narrow path through the marsh. Slimy bogs with clumps of reeds and marsh grass made up most of it; there were also dark, stagnant pools of water that looked really deep. It was slippery, and I was scared of falling in. And what if there werewater witches hiding just below the surface of the bog? It was all very well Lizzie saying that she was going to work with them and form a temporary coven. But they didn’t know that yet, did they? They might just attack anything that moved through their territory. And because Arkwright was away, lots of ’em could be on their way right now! Some might already be here!
    Fear heightened my senses, and I kept thinking I saw things out of the corner of my eye, or heard the faintest of ripples or other minute disturbances of the water. Maybe it was just my imagination. Or perhaps it was some small nocturnal insects or water creatures. I could see nothing, but it would be so easy for a water witch to hide beneath that murk and slime, and I half expected a hand to come up out of the bog and grab my ankle. However, soon the footing became less slippery and squelchy; we were walking on dry land again. As we climbed a small hill, I saw a couple of stone walls and the foundations of a building at its summit.
    ‘This is called Monks’ Hill,’ Lizzie told me. ‘This was once a monastery – until the monks were taken and drained of their blood one by one. This marsh used to be home to scores of water witches who did as they liked. Until the spooks grew stronger in the County, that is. Even now, but for Arkwright and his dogs they’d soon be back for good. Ain’t no doubt about that, girl.’
    Lizzie led the way to the top of the incline and hunkered down with her back to the wall, facing the marsh. I settled down at her side and followed her gaze. Nothing moved, but I felt very uneasy. There wasn’t even a breath of wind, and amist was starting to rise, its snake-like tendrils twisting up onto the lower slopes of the hill .
    Suddenly Lizzie sniffed three times before giving me an evil grin. ‘They’ll be here shortly, but I’d as soon watch ’em for a while without being seen.’
    Didn’t bother sniffing myself, did I: I was sure Lizzie was right – I could sense danger approaching.
    She began to mutter under her breath, and I recognized the cloaking spell.
    ‘That should keep us hidden,’ Lizzie said.
    I was confused. ‘I thought you wanted to form a coven with them?’
    ‘It all depends which of our slimy sisters show up here,’ she replied. ‘Most water witches are stupid – little better than animals. In return for a bit of blood they’ll help me capture the seven children I need. But there’s one sister who is really dangerous – I don’t want any dealings with her: she’d want the egg all for herself. Her name is Morwena, and her father was the Fiend himself. No, we don’t want her to see us!’
    As Lizzie spoke the name ‘Morwena’, a ripple of cold fear ran right up my spine. I felt sure I’d heard that name before; it was as if someone had walked over my grave.
    I was surprised to see fear in Lizzie’s eyes too. ‘How dangerous is she?’ I asked. ‘Has she powerful dark magic?’
    ‘Aye, that she has, girl. She’s stronger and faster than any of her sisters, and she has a deadly weapon – a blood-filled