I’ve found this series on my iPad from 2019. Can anyone tell me what I’m actually writing about? All I remember is that it’s based on a book series I read about witch hunters. I think the guy had multiple apprentices that died somehow, and then the main character was his latest apprentice?
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Part 1: Not Too Late
Summary: “The spook will never be able to become as powerful as you. I will find the spell book .......master and then you can tell me your plan.”
...
Tom Ward gets the spell book for Morgan before the spook can stop him and Meg remembered about being a witch...
Tom POV
I have to save Dad no matter what. I’m so tiered of all John Gregory’s lies anyway that there’s no point going back. I’m going to become so much stronger with Morgan-the spook is wrong about his son.
I creep in the night, finding the book locked up in the attic. I grab my bag and staff, tiptoe by the sleeping Meg and leave down the mountain.
I’m going to become Morgan’s apprentice and nothing will ever stop us, even my master old Gregory. No. Not master. My past master. Ever since I tapped that table three times, I’d been Morgan’s apprentice, not John Gregory’s .
I find Morgan at his mothers grave.
“Master?” I walk up to him.
He turns.”You’ve got it.”
“Of course. “
“Does the old man know?”
“You’re father doesn’t know-he’s sleeping.”
“Very good my apprentice. Very good. Now I can summon Golgoth.”
I gasp as he grabs the spell book from me and begins marching away.
“Keep up.”He snaps and I follow-we’re going up on Anglezarke Moor.
...
Morgan dies trying to summon Golgoth. I stand...stunned.
“Morgan!”I scream, but snow begins to fall of the cliffs and I gasp. I feel darkness all around me and it’s like a tsunami is trying to swallow me. I’m really scared. I feel my eye lids begin to shut and the world goes dark. I feel the urge to sleep and I feel myself fall to my knees in pain.
...
I lay in the snow freezing to death. I have no idea how long I’ve been here, but my head keeps spinning, my vision keeps going blurry and I feel like I’m going to puke. Am I dying? No.
“Lad?”I hear a faint voice.”Lad? LAD! LAD GET UP! LAD!”
My eyes close when a tall figure comes running in my direction.
...
Huh? I wake up cuddled by blankets by a roaring fire. I groan in pain. I feel awful. What happened? Oh yeah.....Morgan died.
“What were you thinking when you went out in a storm boy? I thought I’d taught you better.”I hear a snap-the spook. He’s in the doorway and has a really worried look on his face.
“I was sick of all your secrets and lies.”I croak.
“What are you talking about?”He snaps, coming closer.
I try to stand up, but my knees are too numb and I fall to the floor, groaning in so much pain.
“Lad?”The spook rushes to me. My head is throbbing and the world is spinning. “Listen to me lad-we’ve been through much worst than a little storm and I’m not letting another apprentice die on me, so I want you to look into my eyes and whatever you do, don’t close them.” He holds me on his lap like I really matter to him, but I’m not convinced. He’s weak. Useless. Old. I was only another apprentice to him. He never cared about me. He didn’t care about his own seven children!
“Liar,”I croak.”Y..you you don’t care a..abo..about m..me a..a..at a..all.”I feel myself shaking and the spook brings me in close, so I can hear his heartbeat.
“You’re not like the others boy-you’re special and I do care about you. Why would you go out in a storm? A storm of all things.”He sounded really worried, but I’m still not convinced.
“Morgan showed me what the dark can do and it’s amazing, but he was weak and died trying to summon Golgoth. Your son was as useless as you are, but I’ll carry on his work. You’re not my master anymore.”I croak, viciously. What am I saying? My voice sounded so evil and it scares me. I tell myself it wasn’t me saying all of it, but I came out my mouth. I said it, not a voice inside taking over my body and mind. I look at the spooks frightened face turn the angriest I’d ever seen it go.
“GET A GRIP!”He screams at me, slapping me across the cheek. A few seconds ago he was being, but now he was standing over me and had left a red handprint on my cheek. I couldn’t believe he did that. My jaw drops.
“I’m so sorry Tom,”I hear him whisper and he looks at me like he’s about to cry, but I know he’s just putting it on.”I just can’t believe you trusted Morgan.”He looks down at his feet, still whispering.”but I shouldn’t have hurt you boy. You were tricked and I knew I could sense it..........Morgan has cast a spell on you to make you do as he asks and I’d done nothing about it. Now darkness is gradually filling your mind, but it’s not too late for you. You don’t have to die like Morgan did.”
“Lying old man.”I croak and I let darkness take over my body as I pass out by the fire.
...
I wake up huddled on the sofa with my head on the old mans lap, but he’s got his eyes glued to the fire. Stupid old man and I feel my eyes flicker red. He must not know I’m awake, so I punch him in the stomach. He makes a loud groan and I roll onto the floor and grab my staff. I jump to my feet and the spook stares at me.
“I don’t want to fight you Thomas, but it’s the only way.”He sighs.
“Weak,”I snigger.
...
We fight for hours with our staffs, until I slip up and fall to the ground. He grabs my wrist and drags me through the house.
“What do you think you’re doing old man?”I groan.
“Putting you in a cell until I can work out how to reverse Morgan’s spell.”
“The dark is so powerful and one day you will bow down to it and except your fait,” But he doesn’t look me in the eyes. Stupid old man. He’s so weak.
We get down to the stairs and he picks me up, opens the gate and carries me to a cell. Then he carefully puts me down in the centre and leaves locking the door behind him. I’m alone in the darkness. This is ridiculous.
“Dad.”I call in the darkness.
“Son is that you?”I hear a faint voice-definitely Dads tho.
“Dad you must find Morgan’s sister and tell her Morgan has passed away. Then, you must find Morgan’s soul and bring both of them to me.”
“Of course son. Anything for you.”
And I feel his spirit leave the room and I’m alone again. Ridiculous.
...
I wake up. What happened? The last thing I can remember is Morgan communicating to my dad and trying to blackmail me by hurting his soul. I look around and I’m in pitch darkness. Oh my spook! I’m in one of the cells in the basement. Why has my master locked me up? I’m scared. Really scared. I’m shaking and I feel my breathing getting faster and faster. What happened? Why would John Gregory lock me up?
“MASTER!”I scream.”MASTER!” There’s no way he’s going to hear me. Not from down here. I don’t know why I’m still trying...probably just the fear. “MASTER LET ME OUT! MASTER PLEASE! MASTER!” Tears are pouring down my cheeks and I sit for a while, crying puddles on the floor.
John POV
Meg walks in.”I hear crying. What happened to Billy?”She asks me.”I think it’s him.”
Tom. I still can’t believe I locked him up, but he seemed so power hungry and I don’t want him to hurt himself. I’m so worried about him. He’s like a son to me. Not like the other apprentices. He’s special and he’s proven his loyalty to me countless times. I would have died from the Quisitor and the Bane and the boggart, although I try hard not to accept that. I try not to be hard on him, but I’m always so hard on him. Maybe that’s just because I care so much about him. I wonder how I can brake the spell. “Can you start making dinner Meg?”I ask her.”Billy will like that.”
“Sure John.”She smiles, walking off to the kitchen.
I make my way down the stairs to the basement and all I can hear is poor Tom crying. It pains me to hear him so upset. I unlock the iron door and find his cell.
I unlock the door to see a crying mess on the floor.
He looks up, tears pouring down his red face-his eyes are back to the emerald green and I hope I will never see those blood red eyes again.”Master?”His voice is dry and he sounds awful.
“Tom?”I question.
“Why did you lock me up?”He whimpers like a small child.
“Lad I-“
“Why did you lock me down here in the dark? What did I do? What happened?”
Tears roll down his eyes and I feel so horrible-I don’t think the poor boy remembers anything that happened. At least I don’t have to break a spell.
“Why?”He whimpers.”Don’t you trust me anymore? Am I not your apprentice?”
It brakes my heart to see him so broken. I haven’t felt this attached to an apprentice for so long and I can’t imagine life without this boy by my side.
“Lad,”I calmly whisper, walking slowly towards him and kneeling down in front of him.”Don’t cry.” I wipe his tears with my left hand and I squeeze his right hand with mine.”Please don’t cry.”
“You locked me up.”He whimpers, still shaking, and I can sense how frightened he is.
“Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”I whisper-I’ve never been the comforting type, but my boy needed me and I needed him.”I’m sorry I’ve upset you.”
“Why did you do it?”He sobs.”I don’t understand.”
“Sorry Lad, but Morgan had cast a spell on you and you were fighting me.”
He looks at me with a puzzled look before asking,”What are you talking about? Why was I fighting you? What spell?”
That’s when I take the plunge-my arms wrapped around the shaking boy and I hug him. He rests his head on my left shoulder before later tucking it into my chest and we sit hugging for a while. “You’re a strong boy. Your father died, you nearly died in a storm and somehow you broke Morgan’s spell by yourself, but I’m disappointed that you stole my spell book and you can deal with the punishment once you’re better.”
“Are you going to hit me again?”He whimpers. I don’t know if he’s talking about the catacombs time or earlier by the fire, but I shake my head.”No lad, I promise I’ll never hurt you again. Do you want to go upstairs now?”
He nods and I help him to stand up.
“Sorry Master. I must be such a terrible apprentice. I’m so sorry. Please don’t leave me. I’m so sorry I let you down.” He whispers and I look him in the eyes.
“Nothing has ever been your fault and how can I get rid of you after all the times you’ve helped me boy? I owe my life to you. There’s no way you can ever let me down.”
Part 2: Thank You
Summary: A week after the death of Morgan, Tom visits Alice only to return to three blood-hungry witches. He successfully captures them all binding them all up again and even though Johns upset about Meg, he can’t help but smile at his apprentice.
“Three witches. You could’ve got yourself killed lad.”He smiled. They’d just finished a Latin lesson by the fire, but the day before Tom had saved his master from the witches in the basement.
“I did what I had to. Sorry about Meg.”
“She was going to have to go in the pit in the end boy. She couldn’t live her whole life with herb tea-it wasn’t fair on her either way. I’m proud of you, you know that?”
Tom had frozen stif. It had been the first time the spook had clearly said he was proud of him. A huge beaming smile lit up upon his face and it was like fireworks had gone off in his eyes.
“You mean it?”He asked.
“I’m proud of you.”The spook repeated.”Thank you.....for saving me lad. Meg or her sister would’ve killed me for sure if you hadn’t come along with that iron chain of yours.”
Tom just stared at his master, trying to process everything.”I can’t believe it,”He whispered before smiling,”You’re proud of me!”
The spook just couldn’t help but smile at the only boy he’d ever thought of as a son. Thomas Ward. How he loved that Thomas Ward.
Part 3: My Master’s Grave
Summary: Tom visits his master’s grave with his apprentice.
Tom POV
Jenny has become something special and I’m proud of my first apprentice, but my second one (Jacob Dud) failed after two years, returning back to his father’s woodworking shop and it’s been a year since I took on young Keenan Fisher.
He has a lot to learn, but I see a lot of him in me, although he’s hard to read and will just do whatever I tell him to do with no argument. It’s like I’m mind controlling him and he has no emotions most of the time. The only emotions I’ve seen from him are sadness and anger, so that worries me.
We’re passing through places on a witch hunt and I realise this is the town my master was buried in. You could say Mr Gregory was like a strict, but kind second father to me, but I hadn’t spoken about him since his death and It’s been so long I can’t remember if Andrew is dead or not.
“Find us an inn.”I tell Keenan.”Then Come find me.”
“Okay Master,”He replies, scuttling off and I made my way to the courtyard. It is beginning to get darker, so it’s a perfect time to visit the grave. I hadn’t been there for so long. It felt like forever since he died.
John Gregory
RIP
I look at the simple grave in the row of many others. It was such a shame. He was the best Spook I’ve ever met and he had so many apprentices. Mr Gregory is like family to me and now he was gone forever.
I feel a tear escape my right eye and triple down my cold cheek.
My whisper is carried by the wind. “Why did you have to die?”
Another tear is followed by another tear and I can’t stop tears falling down my cheeks. I’m supposed to be older now. Why did I have to cry? Especially now.
“Why did you have to leave me alone? My parents are dead. My brothers are all dead. You left me too. I thought you’d always be there.”I whisper, wiping my tears.”Why? Am I not good enough for you? Am I not a good enough spook?”
“You’re my best apprentice, best spook in the world you are. Be proud of yourself lad. Dying is just another part of life. Don’t let me drag you down boy.” It is his voice for sure. I can’t believe it.
“Master it’s really you.”I whisper with a faint smile hanging onto my lips.
“Yeah......well I suppose it is really me Tom.”
“I love you.”I tell him.”I never told you that you were a second father to me.”
“And you were my son. I love you Thomas Ward. I really do. More than just my last apprentice you were. Saved my life lots. I really cared for you I did, still do now.”
“I love you too, I miss you so much,”I sob.
“Don’t miss me boy.”He tells me in his master voice.
“Why not?”I ask, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Because you’ve got the rest of your life ahead of you. I’m dead. You have apprentices to teach and a world to protect. Look after Alice and your apprentices lad and life will be good to you.”
“I will. I will.”
I hear footsteps arriving, so I wipe my tears and turn around to see Keenan.
“Master?”He questions.
“Did you find an inn?”
“Of course Master.”
“Then what’s wrong with you? Speak up.”
“Can I ask a question Master?”
“You just asked one, but I suppose if you must then answer away.”
“Who’s grave is that?”
“It’s my master’s.”
I heard a “gasped” sorta sound mixed with an “Oh” and smile.”Come on lad, we’ve got work to do.”
“Ok...master.”
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Hope this means anyone to someone. I must have loved it enough to write this. 😭
