going?’
Weewalk looked over his shoulder. ‘Dragsholm eventually. We have a hidden safe house there.’ he said. ‘We're best away from here.’
None the wiser, Sam continued to follow at what he judged was a safe distance.
They arrived at the building that housed the entrance to the tunnels and Weewalk ducked through a hole in the brickwork.
Sam hesitated. ‘I don’t think we should go in there.’ he called.
Weewalk stuck his head back through the hole ‘Why not?’
‘It's sealed off for a reason. They don’t lead anywhere.’
‘Oh, don’t they? You seem pretty sure of that. You can get all the way to the London Underground if you know the way. They were connected during a huge war.’
Sam sighed, ‘I have a friend who went in and he said that he heard things, further down. Strange noises. Bangs and thumps from places where there shouldn’t have been any noises. And he saw, he thought he saw a ghost.’
‘And do you believe him? Do you believe in ghosts?’
‘Sort of.’ said Sam carefully ‘It's complicated. I mean I'm not sure but my house was pretty strange at times. Bumps and noises at night, cold patches, that sort of thing. I'm not saying it was ghosts, perhaps there's a more scientific explanation but there is, was, definitely something odd about it. These tunnels must run pretty close underneath it.’
‘Well.’ said Weewalk with a laugh ‘I promise you have nothing to fear in here. And perhaps I can shed some light on your hauntings.’
Sam had to squeeze through on his stomach. The cold empty room beyond was pitch black but a match sparked into life before him and he saw Weewalk had produced a candle which he lit quickly and raised above his head.
‘This way.’ he said, and walked through a doorway, over pale grey dust and rubble into another room. This room was just as bare as the first. There were no windows and only one other doorway. The one opposite that which they had just entered led to a passageway and then down a slope and into even greater darkness. The light of the candle could not penetrate it.
‘Sit here a minute.’ said Weewalk ‘I think we need to discuss a few things before we go any further. It's going to get a little... strange down there.’
‘It's already pretty bloody strange up here.’ said Sam ruefully. ‘Who are you? Why did you bring me here?’
‘Please sit.’ said the little man.
They sat with their backs against one wall. Sam was horribly aware of the gaping mouth of the tunnels to the side of him. Deathly cold air seemed to leak from the doorway like the breath of some malevolent phantom and he pulled his scarf more closely around his neck. Every now and then a sound seemed to echo up from the depths, indistinct clunks and ticks. Once Sam thought he heard a sad moan escape the maw of the open doorway, but it could have been his imagination. He strained his hearing but did not hear the sound again, although he felt no less comfortable to be near the door for all that.
Weewalk dripped a little wax from the candle into the well of a crumbling red housebrick and set the rest of the candle into it, placing the brick on the floor where the candle guttered and spat in the cold wind.
‘So, Sam.’ he said ‘Where shall we start? What do you know?’
‘I don’t know anything other than three men tried to kill me by burning down my house.’
‘Not men.’ said Weewalk ‘They’re no more men that I am, although the heavy looking one, Ferus, might have been one once. The other two were yeren. So, you have no idea why they wanted to kill you?’ He scratched his beard. ‘You said that you believe in ghosts?’
‘What's that got to do with anything? Why me? What do these people want? I haven't done anything wrong!’
‘Tell me. Ever sense anything strange? Been on your own at night and felt like there's been someone else there? A presence? Ever seen a misty figure walk through a wall? Glowing orbs passed your face but when you
Weewalk looked over his shoulder. ‘Dragsholm eventually. We have a hidden safe house there.’ he said. ‘We're best away from here.’
None the wiser, Sam continued to follow at what he judged was a safe distance.
They arrived at the building that housed the entrance to the tunnels and Weewalk ducked through a hole in the brickwork.
Sam hesitated. ‘I don’t think we should go in there.’ he called.
Weewalk stuck his head back through the hole ‘Why not?’
‘It's sealed off for a reason. They don’t lead anywhere.’
‘Oh, don’t they? You seem pretty sure of that. You can get all the way to the London Underground if you know the way. They were connected during a huge war.’
Sam sighed, ‘I have a friend who went in and he said that he heard things, further down. Strange noises. Bangs and thumps from places where there shouldn’t have been any noises. And he saw, he thought he saw a ghost.’
‘And do you believe him? Do you believe in ghosts?’
‘Sort of.’ said Sam carefully ‘It's complicated. I mean I'm not sure but my house was pretty strange at times. Bumps and noises at night, cold patches, that sort of thing. I'm not saying it was ghosts, perhaps there's a more scientific explanation but there is, was, definitely something odd about it. These tunnels must run pretty close underneath it.’
‘Well.’ said Weewalk with a laugh ‘I promise you have nothing to fear in here. And perhaps I can shed some light on your hauntings.’
Sam had to squeeze through on his stomach. The cold empty room beyond was pitch black but a match sparked into life before him and he saw Weewalk had produced a candle which he lit quickly and raised above his head.
‘This way.’ he said, and walked through a doorway, over pale grey dust and rubble into another room. This room was just as bare as the first. There were no windows and only one other doorway. The one opposite that which they had just entered led to a passageway and then down a slope and into even greater darkness. The light of the candle could not penetrate it.
‘Sit here a minute.’ said Weewalk ‘I think we need to discuss a few things before we go any further. It's going to get a little... strange down there.’
‘It's already pretty bloody strange up here.’ said Sam ruefully. ‘Who are you? Why did you bring me here?’
‘Please sit.’ said the little man.
They sat with their backs against one wall. Sam was horribly aware of the gaping mouth of the tunnels to the side of him. Deathly cold air seemed to leak from the doorway like the breath of some malevolent phantom and he pulled his scarf more closely around his neck. Every now and then a sound seemed to echo up from the depths, indistinct clunks and ticks. Once Sam thought he heard a sad moan escape the maw of the open doorway, but it could have been his imagination. He strained his hearing but did not hear the sound again, although he felt no less comfortable to be near the door for all that.
Weewalk dripped a little wax from the candle into the well of a crumbling red housebrick and set the rest of the candle into it, placing the brick on the floor where the candle guttered and spat in the cold wind.
‘So, Sam.’ he said ‘Where shall we start? What do you know?’
‘I don’t know anything other than three men tried to kill me by burning down my house.’
‘Not men.’ said Weewalk ‘They’re no more men that I am, although the heavy looking one, Ferus, might have been one once. The other two were yeren. So, you have no idea why they wanted to kill you?’ He scratched his beard. ‘You said that you believe in ghosts?’
‘What's that got to do with anything? Why me? What do these people want? I haven't done anything wrong!’
‘Tell me. Ever sense anything strange? Been on your own at night and felt like there's been someone else there? A presence? Ever seen a misty figure walk through a wall? Glowing orbs passed your face but when you
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