Blood and Clay (17 page)

“
State your business here
”

“
I
’
m transporting a prisoner on behalf of Magistrate Nowell of
Pendle Forrest. A witch who will stand trial for her crimes.
”

No
further voice came but instead the heavy oak door opened, a scraping, creaking
noise which came as the door scraped along the floor set my teeth on edge. The
horse set off again and for a second all I could hear was the clip clopping of
the horse. Moments later I wished for that level of quiet again. As the door
began to close behind us I started to hear the noises of the prison. The heavy
thud of the door made the noise even more oppressive, as if it had been trapped
inside the gaol just like the prisoners. Constable Hargreaves pulled me off the
back of the cart, tugging me with the rope. I stumbled and fell to my knees,
slicing them open, as my cramped knees refused to straighten and my cold feet
refused to hold my weight. Hargreaves pulled me roughly to my feet and the rope
set every nerve in my wrists on fire. I began to feel faint as the pain and
noises overwhelmed me.

Men
’
s and women
’
s voices blended together, some
shouting, some ranting, screams, sobs, babies crying. Noises came from every
direction and pushed themselves into my head, squeezing all thoughts out and
making my breathing speed so much that I felt the noises were even crowding
into my lungs, forcing out all of the air. Finally I grew used to the noises
enough to be able to distinguish two voices closer by as I heard Hargreaves and
the man from the parapet talking.

“
From Pendle are you? Godless place I
’
ve heard.
”

“
Aye there are those who walk with the dark in their hearts
and many more with fear in theirs but Mr Nowell and me, we are onto
‘
em now. Whores of Satan the lot of
‘
em. This one crippled a grown man.
”

“
Her?
”
 
The man from the
parapet guffawed in disbelief
“
She
’
s just a scrap of a gal.
”

“
Don
’
t let that fool you. Pure evil she is and she
’
ll lame you soon as look at you
”

Hargreaves
punctuated his words with a phlegm filled spit which landed on my brown shift
dress. I stared, hypnotized, as half of it stuck and soaked into the material
and the other half began a slow slimy descent down the fabric towards my leg.
Finally it dropped off my hem and landed on my foot. I was too tired and too
numb to do anything about it.

“
Well all yours she is now and I
’
m off for a drink. Where
’
s your best ale house in Lancaster?
”

As
the man gave Hargreaves a long, rambling description of how to get to the best
ale house in town I finally broke from my numbness and looked around. We were
stood in a small courtyard underneath the high castle wall. In the wall were
thin, slit windows. The walls were streaked with faeces, half seemed to be from
the cawing ravens on the roof and parapet but half seemed to be human. This
thought was confirmed as I looked up to see a stream of watery faeces and urine
being tipped out of one of the thin windows. From where I stood it seemed that
less than half had made it out of the window and far more still sat in the gap
between the inside and the outside of the thick stone wall. I turned back to
the men just in time to see the doors being hauled open again and Hargreaves
mounting his horse. He didn
’
t give me second glance as he rode out, cart in tow,
bouncing merrily as if happy to be rid of its passenger.

As
the cart went over the drawbridge and the man from the gaol placed his full
weight behind the door and started to push it closed I realized that this was
my chance, possibly my last chance, to escape. My legs sprung to life and I
half ran half tripped towards the slowly closing door. As I gained speed I lost
a shoe but I didn
’
t turn back. Faster and faster until I was just a few paces
from the door, a few steps from freedom. Then I burst through the door onto the
drawbridge. I wasn
’
t sure where I would go or how long I could run for but my
brain didn
’
t allow me to worry about that. All energy was focused on
escape. I took two steps onto the drawbridge and was yanked backwards. I fell
onto my back with a heavy and painful thump and found myself lying in a painful
twisted position on my back with my arms half twisted under my body.

As
my arms were pulled again, the move twisting my onto my stomach, I realized
that I was being pulled by the rope. At the other end was the man from the
parapet, huffing and wheezing as he pulled the rope tighter whilst
simultaneously moving towards me. When he reached me he clutched his hand to
his right side and grimaced in pain, doubled over as he caught his breath. The
man was almost like a castle himself; over double my height and three times my
width. His stomach was barely contained in his rough shirt and it hung over the
top of his pants. His breath came down on me and was sour with the tang of ale.
His head was large and bald. Beads of sweat now covered his brow. He finally
gave up on holding his side and straightened up.

“
You
’
ll regret that you little witch. Regret making me run. Don
’
t run for no-one me.
”

As
he spoke the man tugged on the rope and gave me a rough kick in my side with
his huge, booted foot then hauled me to my feet. Once he had dragged me into
the courtyard he tethered the rope to a ring on the wall next to two tired
looking horses, and went back to closing the heavy door. As the door closed,
blocking off all lights and sounds from the city, I felt my heart sink as my
last shot at freedom disappeared. As the huge man walked towards me he was
still out of breath and his red, sweating face was angry and malevolent. I
backed away but was soon stuck with the wall at my back and a horse at each
side. My hands were still bound fast to the ring on the wall. The man soon
reached my and came so close that I could see the stubble sprouting in thin
patches across his chin.

“
Feisty one aren
’
t you witch? Well I
’
m not some country hick like that
Constable of yours. No-one gives Warden Ainsworth the run-around. You make the
most of your life here girl because the next time you leave these walls you
’
ll be heading for the gallows more
’
n likely.
”

I
tried to turn my head away from the Warden but he gripped my chin and cheeks in
one large hand and squeezed until my teeth cut into the inside of my cheeks.
The Warden pressed his body against me and with his other hand he roughly
grabbed my breast before moving his hand downwards.

“
You want to be nice to me missy. This gaol can be as nice
or as nasty as you make it. Let
’
s make sure you decide to make it a nice stay eh?
”

Nettie
crouched by the door of Malkin Tower. Out in the yard a big fire had been lit
and the sparks and embers danced in the dark. It was a full moon tonight and
the covens had drawn together. The first time in many decades that the Chattox
family and the Devices had met without fighting. There had been some bickering
earlier in the night but once the food had started the bickering had settled.
Now the eating was over and the lamb, stolen by James, had been picked to the
bone. The bones had been removed from the spit and were cooling on the grass
next to a bucket of lamb
’
s blood. Blood and bones; some for the ritual and some for
the guests to take home. Party gifts fit for a witch.

Nettie
crept towards the fire and settled herself on the outskirts of the group. She
had been sent to bed twice but she was determined to join in. Over the past few
weeks Alizon had been all she heard about. First when her mother and
grandmother had started to organize the naming ceremony and then, before it
could take place, when Alizon had gone missing. It had taken two days for word
to reach them of where she was. That Nowell man had come knocking at the door
to tell them. After that it had been all Alizon again; how to save her, how she
was needed now, how she could bring them power. It seemed to Nettie that Alizon
was suddenly the most important person in the world. The more they had talked
about her and planned for her the more Nettie had begun to get jealous. Why
fuss over Alizon? She didn
’
t want this life, wasn
’
t grateful, wasn
’
t beautiful. Not like Nettie. Nettie
sat at night wishing for this life. She was desperate to become a woman and
become powerful, learn the ways of witchcraft like her family. She knew that
she was pretty. With a knowledge of herbs and curses she could be whoever she
wanted, no more Malkin Tower. Nettie fancied herself a lady
’
s life in the village. No more hand
me downs either.

Nettie
had tried to take Alizon
’
s place but the black dog snapped at her when she came
near. So did her kin. With Alizon gone everyone turned their anger on her.
Perhaps they would have anyway with Alizon being the new favourite at Malkin
Tower. Nettie had always loved her sister, the only person to ever show her any
love back, but right now she was filled with jealously. Despite loving her she
didn
’
t like Alizon very much. Not very much at all. Nettie moved
closer to the group once more and listened to the talks. The matriarchs of the
family had set their daughters, Elizabeth and Anne, to work on making effigies
using clay and the sheep blood. They had already made effigies of Magistrate
Nowell and the Constable Hargreaves and had set to work on those of the many
witnesses being called to speak against Alizon. Nettie wondered if she should
tell them about the boy she had seen Alizon with. The one she had kissed when
she had thought no-one else was looking. It had been a long day, the day that
Lizzie and the boy had come into the clearing. They had surprised Nettie, who
had been, squashed into the empty tree trunk hiding out from Gran. She had
stayed until they fell asleep then had snuck out. Nettie wondered if the two
families would still be meeting if they knew that Lizzie was courting in
secret. She wondered whether to tell them.

The
two families were settled with mugs of ale and listening carefully to the
exchange going on between Chattox and Demdike.

“
Why should we help you? You and your kin are not our
friends Demdike. We owe you no favours.
”

“
Apart from the killing of our Elizabeth
’
s husband you mean?
”

“
That weren
’
t us. There isn
’
t any proof that was us. Your
Elizabeth didn
’
t seem too fussed about it though. Fancy she was happy to
be rid of
‘
im. All that talk of God. Bible in one hand and a drink in
t
’
other.
”

“
Aye that as maybe but we
’
ve been suffering for his loss.
There's hardly any money coming into the house now and you owe us a service for
that wrong doing.
”

“
Even if that were true, why should we risk our neck for
your kin? It's not our problem Demdike. Seems to me it would be better for me
an
’
mine to stay right away from you. Let that bastard Nowell
hang the lot of you. Pendle would be better for it and my pockets heavier with
coins too with just one wise woman to serve the villages.
”

“
Ha! You think you are safe Chattox you old sow? Just
‘
cause you're not a Device? That isn
’
t so. They might come for us first
but it won
’
t be long before the Constable is hammering at your door
too. They
’
re on a right mission they are. Clear the County of witches
and damn us all to Hell.
”

“
I hear your Lizzie has found her powers. Lamed that John
Law I heard. Sent him into a fit of moon kissed madness. What makes you think
we would help you free her an
’
get the power of three? Don
’
t trust you wouldn
’
t do something to hurt my kin with
that power. You
’
ve always been jealous of me and mine bein
’
more powerful than you.
”