The Wardstone Chronicles – How They Should End :D

My breath seemed to solidify before me as mist in the freezing night air, before being snatched away by the wind. I stood on the hill overlooking the County. A full moon shone balefully over the landscape, dirty clouds scudding across its milky surface, casting shadows over the fields, forests and villages and out before me. The wind whipped my hair back from my forehead, and I heard a distant roll of thunder.

A storm was coming.

My silver chain coiled around my left wrist and my staff in my hand, I was prepared as I could be. But I didn't feel prepared at all. Ranged out to either side of me, our army stood expectantly. Apart from the small number of Spooks we had gathered from all over the County, and further, it was little more than a gaggle of terrified villagers, armed with what makeshift weapons they could find. Many held burning torches, small flames flickering in the darkness. On my right hand stood the Spook, the sharp jut his nose illuminated by the moonlight.

We were the last in the County who still stood against the Dark…and the Fiend. Now, the moment had come for the final battle; and the fate of the County hung in the balance.

The wind suddenly dropped, and an eerie silence fell over us, and all I could hear was the sound of my own shallow breathing. I squinted into the darkness of the forest, searching desperately for a sign of attack, but even my keen eyes couldn't see far into the trees at the bottom of the hill. This was not natural darkness.

Then, they came. The temperature dropped further as they flitted through the trees, and then out into the open. Witches. Hundreds of them; blood witches, lamir witches, even their men…and there. Grimalkin, the witch assassin. I could see the glint of the many wicked looking daggers strapped across her body.

"Well, boy," murmured the Spook. "This is it, then."

I swallowed and nodded.

He placed a hand briefly on my shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, Tom." he said gruffly.

I turned to him in surprise, but he was looking away.

I felt the villagers behind me tremble with horror at the sight of the witches.

"Stand!" I yelled. "Hold your ground." I clamped down on my rising panic and strengthened my resolve. We had to win this battle; if we didn't, the County would be plunged into endless darkness. The army of witches was now spread out at the foot of the hill. Then, from between the ranks, emerged their leaders. Old Nick himself, and by his side…Alice.

A thousand different emotions flooded through me and battled for supremacy inside me but composure managed to keep a lid on them, just. I couldn't tear my eyes away. From here I could just make out the sardonic smile on her face, and the malevolent glitter in her eyes. A chill ran over my spine. This was not the Alice I knew. This young woman before me was one without remorse or pity; she was an evil servant of the Dark.

Without warning, they attacked. They charged forward up the hill, with hideous shrieks that made my blood curdle in my veins. At the front, Alice; her black hair streaming behind her and her lips open in a feral snarl which betrayed the yellow stains on her teeth – she had been drinking blood.

"Hold steady," I called, gripping my staff so hard my knuckles were white. I pressed the catch to release the blade. Blood pounded in my ears. Closer and closer they came, they were nearly upon us now-

"Attack!" I cried.

The two sides collided.

Immediately, I heard screams as men to my left and right were dragged down, witches stabbing at them viciously with knifes and daggers. I barely had time to react before one threw herself at me, wild eyes wide in hollow cheeks and claw-like fingers outstretched to scratch at my eyes. Without thinking, I stabbed forward with my staff and it pierced her chest. She fell screeching to the ground, only to be trampled by more. A lamir witch came in from my right and I spun, releasing the silver chain. It wrapped tightly around her and she howled, but I knew I could not rest yet, as I was under attack on all sides. Trying not to dwell on what I was about to do I quickly knelt over her struggling form and plunged my knife into her heart. She coughed blood and then fell still. I yanked off the chain and coiling it back around my wrist, and jumped to my feet, glancing around for any signs of another impending attack.

The Spook, was an extremely impressive sight. He was fighting with extreme vigour and skill, and the look on his face was of single-minded concentration and determination. His cloak billowed around him as he whirled, wielding his staff with expert skill. He felled three witches in the space of a minute, and thrusting the bladed end forward, finished them off before they had even hit the ground.

I was by his side now, and we fought back to back. We made a formidable team. But the witches kept on coming, and for everyone we brought down another leap out of the fray at us. Through the chaos, I caught a glimpse of Grimalkin, slashing with her daggers and throwing them with deadly accuracy. Our men were falling all around us; though they were fighting valiantly we were being overwhelmed. Desperately, I renewed my efforts. Dark clouds were amassing in the sky above us now, and the booming thunder sounded again. The storm was almost directly over us.

Then, I saw Alice. She was carving a way towards me, her beautiful face a mask of hatred. She jumped the last metre between us and I staggered under a ferocious rain of blows which I only just managed to deflect with my staff. I had no time to manoeuvre to throw my chain; we were locked in lethal battle. My muscles burned and I felt a trickle of sweat run down between my shoulder blades. A hiss escaped from Alice's lips, but she showed no signs of tiring. Her eyes were ablaze with a mad fury and seemed to bore straight through me, but I forced myself to hold her gaze. The rest of the world slowly faded into the background, and my focus was entirely centred on Alice, and defending myself. I was barely able to counterattack. And that's when I made my mistake.

I took a step backwards, and my foot hit a rock. I didn't stumble, but for a moment I was slightly off-balance and Alice wasted no time in taking full advantage of my vulnerability. She threw herself on to me and I fell heavily on my back to the ground. I tried to role out from under her but she kicked my legs viciously. She raised her arm and brought her dagger plunging down, but somehow I managed to grab her wrist with the blade poised millimetres from my throat. She wrested for control of her arms which I struggled to keep away from my body. She was incredibly strong and I was tiring fast.

"Kill him," hissed a voice I knew too well. "Kill him now!" It was the Fiend. He had appeared next to us and now stared down, untouched by the surrounding battle, his eyes endless pits of night. "You have to be the one to do it, Alice… my child."

Alice narrowed her eyes and with a screech of triumph, wrenched her hands free...and then several things happened at once.

"Do it, now!" growled the Fiend.

A leer twisted Alice's lips as she raised the dagger.

I realised I was going to die, and everything would be lost. But I didn't feel anger, only sorrow. Sorrow for all the innocent people who were going to die, and sorrow for Alice. A memory of her, laughing and pretty, and innocent. Another, of her kissing me. The feelings I'd locked away inside of me burst out once again.

"Alice," I whispered, almost choking on the words. "It's me, Tom, your best friend…"

For a moment, just a moment, I saw a flash of something akin to recognition in her eyes. But it was enough to make her hesitate.

"Alice," I said earnestly, "Please. Do the right thing."

"No," spat the Fiend. "Kill him now!"

But Alice was staring at me now, lips parted in surprise. Her hand holding the knife sank down to the earth.

I smiled shakily. "It's me, Tom."

"What are you waiting for?" snarled the Fiend.

"The one thing you ask of me…is the one thing I can't give you," she said quietly, but her eyes did not leave my face. A spark of hope ignited inside me.

How I wish now I could go back to that moment, and do things differently, do anything differently...but it is too late.

"What…?" the Fiend growled, his voice low and menacing, chilling me to the bone.

"I can't kill him," said Alice, pushing herself off me, and standing up. "I can't kill him."

With an echoing roar, the Fiend thrust out an arm at Alice, and a bolt of what looked like lightening lanced between them, striking her in the chest. Time seemed slowed down, and I stood, gazing in frozen horror as she jerked backwards, eyes widening and mouth opening in a wordless cry of pain.

She crumpled to the ground, and lay still.

"No! Alice!"

Fury like I have never known erupted inside of me and I launched myself at the Fiend. I had no idea what I was doing, engaging the Devil himself in one to one combat, but I knew that I was going to destroy him if it was the last thing I ever did.

The devil thrust out his hand again but this time I was expecting it. As it had many years before when I was about to die at the hands of Grimalkin, time slowed and I was able to see it arcing through the air towards me. I ducked, and I felt the sudden rush of air as it passed over my head. But the Fiend is not constrained by time either, and moving just as quickly as I did, sent another bolt straight at me. Though before I had been exhausted, the rush of sheer hatred that consumed me had now completely restored my energy. With an incoherent shout I flung out my arms, and without warning an invisible swell of power burst from me, deflected the lightening and blasted the Devil off his feet. Now was my chance!

The Spook appeared beside me, face smeared with blood. Simultaneously we lunged forward, flinging our chains. They fell around the Fiend as he stood up. He flung back his head and gave a harsh laugh which became a snarl.

"You think your pathetic weapons can stop me?" He casually flung off the chains, and they clattered to the ground. Stepping forward, he sent a beam straight at the Spook. He twisted sideways but it tore through the material on his shoulder, cutting into flesh, and he fell to the ground with a cry. But I kept running forward, towards my enemy.

"You think anything you can throw at me can stop me?" growled the Fiend.

"Maybe not," I roared, "but I can!"

And I plunged my staff through his heart.

The Fiend's fiery eyes widened and he stared at the shaft of oak protruding from his chest. He grabbed the staff and prepared to yank it out.

"My name is Thomas Ward," I shouted. "I am the seventh son of a seventh son, and the blood of a witch flows through me! I banish you into the Dark, now and forever!"

The Fiend howled and I felt like my ears would burst. I clung on to my staff with all my might, but I was being thrown back and forth in a violent, supernatural gale. I was trapped in a hideous whirlwind of darkness and the Fiend was still screaming and my hands were slipping, I couldn't hold on much longer-

-and then it was over.

I didn't wait to notice the smouldering crater where the Fiend had been but a moment before. I didn't wait to notice the Spook struggle to his feet and call out my name. I didn't wait to notice at how with the death of their leader, the tide of battle had turned, and the witches were fleeing back down the hill.

I sprinted to where Alice still lay unmoving on the ground. Stumbling to her side, I fell to my knees and lifted her into my arms. Heart in my mouth, I desperately brushed her hair from over her face. Please God, please no-

"Tom," she smiled weakly. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was the most beautiful sound I ever heard in my life.

"Sshh," I said, stroking her cheek with my thumb. "I've got you. You're safe now."

"No, Tom," she said, pressing her hand around mine where it cupped her face. "I'm dying."

"Don't say that," I choked my throat constricting. "I won't let you die."

"Listen to me Tom." Alice was struggling to speak now. "You are a good man, a good, brave man. And I'm sorry…" She tried to carry on, but descended into a fit of coughing. "I'm sorry…I couldn't be who I tried to be…who you wanted me to be. I've done so much wrong…and you have to carry on once I'm gone." A trickle of blood trailed from her lips. "To put it right. You and the Spook…to put the County to rights."

"Don't talk like that," I said, shaking my head, refusing to believe what she was saying. Above us, the storm had finally broken, but it wasn't just rain splashing down my cheeks.

"You can't die, Alice." I swallowed. "Alice…I love you."

Her eyes glistened. "I love you too, Tom. I always have."

I kissed her. I felt like I was burning up and melting all at the same time. Her lips were wet from the rain, and my tears. She wrapped her arms round my neck as I wrapped mine in her hair. I never wanted to let go.

But slowly, Alice's arms slid from my shoulders, and she sank back in my arms. Her eyes were closed, lashes spangled with raindrops, a contented smile on her face.

I cradled her there in my arms, in the pouring rain. I'm not sure how long I stayed like that, but the first grey light of dawn smudged the horizon when I finally looked up. The Spook came and stood by me, but he didn't speak.

There wasn't anything to say.

We buried Alice in the garden at Chippendale. Not round by the binding pits, in the beautiful part of the garden, where we used to sit and talk for hours. Flowers grow on her grave now, and in summertime it is abloom with foxgloves and marigolds.

I am the Spook now, the Spook for the whole County. I can manage well enough, now that the Dark has been beaten back once again. Standing on the hill where the final battle took place, I can see the whole County. The fields are green, and the people are prospering. The sound of laughter drifts up to me on the breeze.

I smile.