alive. Why would that be, I wonder?’
‘I don’t know,’ Hazel almost sobbed with fear. ‘I’m just a girl . . . looking for her mother.’
‘Just a girl,’ Titus muttered. ‘I don’t believe that for a greased second.’
‘He said he knew you,’ Hazel gasped. ‘Do
you
know who he is?’
Titus let go of her face and Hazel leaned away, trembling. ‘There was something familiar about him,’ he murmured, stroking his beard. ‘But right now we have bigger
problems.’ He jerked a thumb back down the road. ‘They’ll be after us, no doubt about that.’
Hazel nodded and glanced into the swirling mist, certain she could see shapes stalking through it. ‘It’ll be easy for them to follow the wagon,’ she said. ‘They could
attack us at any moment.’
‘Correct,’ Titus said. ‘And we need to get help for David. The boy’s a prize-winning fool, but he’s
my
fool and I won’t see him die. There are a few
smallholdings in Wychwood . . . Forest people are strange and don’t like outsiders, but they
might
help us. Though we won’t get far in the wagon.’
‘What if I take David into the forest while you draw them away in the wagon?’
Titus scowled. ‘That’ll do, I suppose. There’s a bridge coming up that crosses a stream. Follow it east until you reach a cabin on a hill. It’s not too far from here. But
be careful – as I said, forest dwellers can be dangerous.’
‘You said “strange” before.’
‘I meant
dangerous
,’ Titus said. ‘You’ll need to slip away unnoticed. There’s a trapdoor under the rug inside. When we reach the bridge you and David can
drop through on to the road and get away as fast as you can. If they’re watching, they’re less likely to notice if you leave that way. I’ll draw those horrors off while you make
your escape.’
‘What about you?’ asked Hazel. Although she was terrified of the Witch Finder, she didn’t like leaving him at the mercy of Rawhead and Spindle.
‘I can look after myself. And, girl?’
‘Yes?’
‘You are responsible for what happened to my fool. So see he gets help.’
With a nod she climbed through the hatch into the wagon. Samson wagged his tail and gave a little whine. David lay on the bottom bunk with his arm across his bandaged face, as if shielding
himself from a bright light. His chest rose and fell in rapid gasps.
‘David,’ Hazel said, taking his hand. ‘Wake up, we have to go.’
The flesh around the puncture wounds on his cheek was raw and moist. She flinched but didn’t look away. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he rasped. ‘Am I dying?’
‘Not even slightly,’ she said, forcing herself to smile.
‘I don’t remember what h-happened . . . just that vile spider and then . . . nothing.’ His voice was paper-thin and creased with pain.
‘We were ambushed. They’re still after us, but there might be people nearby who can help. We need to get you out of here. Can you get up?’
David grimaced as he sat up. ‘They’ve not killed me . . . yet.’
‘Good.’ Hazel grabbed her bag and pulled back the rug, revealing a trapdoor with a brass ring handle. She heaved it open. Cold air and threads of mist seeped inside.
David knelt beside her, face blanched with pain as he wound a bandage around his head to cover his wounded eye. The crunch of the wheels changed to a rumble as the wagon mounted the bridge.
‘This is it.’ Hazel said. ‘Follow me as soon as I’ve jumped. Stay low –
they
may be watching.’ She swung her legs over the edge. ‘And Samson, be
a good boy and stay here.’ The dog whined but lay down by the stove.
‘Here goes,’ she said, and dropped through the hatch.
17
BACK IN THE FOREST
Witchcraft is a dark and horrible reality, an ever-present
menace, and a thing most active, perilous and true.
Der Hexenhammer
by Dr Heinrich Hoefer
H azel lay flat on her stomach as the wagon rumbled over her. David landed heavily a few feet away, grunting with pain.
‘We need
‘I don’t know,’ Hazel almost sobbed with fear. ‘I’m just a girl . . . looking for her mother.’
‘Just a girl,’ Titus muttered. ‘I don’t believe that for a greased second.’
‘He said he knew you,’ Hazel gasped. ‘Do
you
know who he is?’
Titus let go of her face and Hazel leaned away, trembling. ‘There was something familiar about him,’ he murmured, stroking his beard. ‘But right now we have bigger
problems.’ He jerked a thumb back down the road. ‘They’ll be after us, no doubt about that.’
Hazel nodded and glanced into the swirling mist, certain she could see shapes stalking through it. ‘It’ll be easy for them to follow the wagon,’ she said. ‘They could
attack us at any moment.’
‘Correct,’ Titus said. ‘And we need to get help for David. The boy’s a prize-winning fool, but he’s
my
fool and I won’t see him die. There are a few
smallholdings in Wychwood . . . Forest people are strange and don’t like outsiders, but they
might
help us. Though we won’t get far in the wagon.’
‘What if I take David into the forest while you draw them away in the wagon?’
Titus scowled. ‘That’ll do, I suppose. There’s a bridge coming up that crosses a stream. Follow it east until you reach a cabin on a hill. It’s not too far from here. But
be careful – as I said, forest dwellers can be dangerous.’
‘You said “strange” before.’
‘I meant
dangerous
,’ Titus said. ‘You’ll need to slip away unnoticed. There’s a trapdoor under the rug inside. When we reach the bridge you and David can
drop through on to the road and get away as fast as you can. If they’re watching, they’re less likely to notice if you leave that way. I’ll draw those horrors off while you make
your escape.’
‘What about you?’ asked Hazel. Although she was terrified of the Witch Finder, she didn’t like leaving him at the mercy of Rawhead and Spindle.
‘I can look after myself. And, girl?’
‘Yes?’
‘You are responsible for what happened to my fool. So see he gets help.’
With a nod she climbed through the hatch into the wagon. Samson wagged his tail and gave a little whine. David lay on the bottom bunk with his arm across his bandaged face, as if shielding
himself from a bright light. His chest rose and fell in rapid gasps.
‘David,’ Hazel said, taking his hand. ‘Wake up, we have to go.’
The flesh around the puncture wounds on his cheek was raw and moist. She flinched but didn’t look away. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he rasped. ‘Am I dying?’
‘Not even slightly,’ she said, forcing herself to smile.
‘I don’t remember what h-happened . . . just that vile spider and then . . . nothing.’ His voice was paper-thin and creased with pain.
‘We were ambushed. They’re still after us, but there might be people nearby who can help. We need to get you out of here. Can you get up?’
David grimaced as he sat up. ‘They’ve not killed me . . . yet.’
‘Good.’ Hazel grabbed her bag and pulled back the rug, revealing a trapdoor with a brass ring handle. She heaved it open. Cold air and threads of mist seeped inside.
David knelt beside her, face blanched with pain as he wound a bandage around his head to cover his wounded eye. The crunch of the wheels changed to a rumble as the wagon mounted the bridge.
‘This is it.’ Hazel said. ‘Follow me as soon as I’ve jumped. Stay low –
they
may be watching.’ She swung her legs over the edge. ‘And Samson, be
a good boy and stay here.’ The dog whined but lay down by the stove.
‘Here goes,’ she said, and dropped through the hatch.
17
BACK IN THE FOREST
Witchcraft is a dark and horrible reality, an ever-present
menace, and a thing most active, perilous and true.
Der Hexenhammer
by Dr Heinrich Hoefer
H azel lay flat on her stomach as the wagon rumbled over her. David landed heavily a few feet away, grunting with pain.
‘We need
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