The Spook's Sacrifice Read Online Free PDF

out.

CHAPTER
4
D ECISION S

    'Your master took it very badly,' Mam said when
I went in. 'Even worse than I'd expected.'
    'He's gone back to Chipenden, Mam. He said that if
I wasn't back there in three days, then it would be the
end of my apprenticeship.'
    Mam sighed. 'I was afraid of that. But you got on
quite well with Bill Arkwright, I believe.'
    'Who told you that, Mam?'
    'People tell me things all the time, son. Either that or
I find them out for myself. Let's just say I know what
happened. You got off to a bad start but things sorted
themselves out and he trained you well. If John
Gregory won't continue as your master,' Mam went
on, 'then you'll have to make do with Bill Arkwright. I
need him too. I've already sent for him. I hope he'll
agree to join us and come to Greece. He should arrive
sometime tomorrow to talk it through.'
    'What do you want him to do in Greece, Mam?'
    'He's a good spook, but above all he used to be in the
army. We're facing a tremendous battle and I'll need
Arkwright's strength, fearlessness and military tactics.
I've told him it's vital that he comes with us – he'll be
able to strike a bigger blow against the dark there than
he could in sixty years of service to the County.'
    It would be good to work with Arkwright again, I
thought. He'd toughened me up a lot during the
months I'd spent with him north of Caster; maybe I
could continue the physical side of my training. If it
hadn't been for what he'd taught me, that maenad
assassin would probably have killed me. On the other
hand I was really going to miss working with John
Gregory. He was my real master and also my friend. It
was sad to think that I'd never be his apprentice again.
The house at Chipenden had become my home. Bill
Arkwright, for all his qualities, couldn't replace that.
    'Can't you tell me more about your enemy, the
Ordeen, Mam? What makes her so dangerous that you
need to defeat her in battle?' I asked. 'What's the
threat we face that we need help from so many
people?'
    Mam bowed her head for a moment as though
reluctant to speak, but then she looked me in the eye
and seemed to find her resolve. 'The Ordeen has a
terrible thirst for blood, son. And when she visits our
world, those who accompany her through the portal in
her great citadel, the Ord – daemons, fire elementals
and vaengir – are similarly thirsty. Thousands of
innocent people are slaughtered – men, women and
even children. She's growing in power and each visit
she makes to our world is more devastating.'
    'She sounds even worse than the Fiend.'
    'No, son, the Fiend is far more powerful but he
doesn't flaunt his strength. His aim is a slow
accumulation of power, gradually increasing the evil
that makes the world a darker and more dangerous
place as he tightens his grip upon it. His plans are
long-term – eventual total dominion.
    'By contrast, the Ordeen has no long-term plans
other than to drink her fill of blood and instil terror
into everyone she comes in contact with. Many victims
simply die of fear and are easy pickings for the
maenads that swarm in her wake. She's a powerful
servant of the dark – nothing compared to the Fiend,
but we can't hope to confront him yet. For now we
must concentrate on the immediate threat before us,
and destroy the Ordeen before she widens the range of
her portal.'
    'What do you mean, Mam?'
    'The Ordeen has been visiting Greece for thousands
of years; she materializes only on the plain before
Meteora, where thousands of monks have their homes.
Her visits take place every seven years, and each of
these is more devastating than the previous one. The
monks use prayers to defend their monasteries, and
try to bind the Ordeen within the confines of the plain.
But gradually she's grown in power, while their
effectiveness has declined. And now that the Fiend is
in the world, she can count him as her ally and the
dark is much more powerful. Under the direction of
the Fiend, more and more flying lamias have joined
her: this time, it