The mound was almost gone as the long-ago excavated soil had attempted to resettle and became part of the landscape again.
Seasonally-pruned hawthorn hedges ran along the edges of the field and where they arrived at Accam Dey's grave, the bushes
implied reluctance to continue their growth as a barrier. It seemed even in death, the Terror of Hexham still smouldered trepidity.
Tall meadow foxtails, ripe dandelions and rogue clumps of rye grew around the odd boulder discarded by a ploughing farmer
into the verge and for anyone gaily browsing the cereal-filled fields, would just come across a forgotten place where only the
unwanted resided. Fitting really -Phineas Stappen thought, as he helped his friend unearth the remains of the illustrious beast.
Peggy Powler was on her knees beside him and burrowing like a frenzied dog in search for a bone, another applicable term to
describe their clandestine actions -the Cobbler mused as he lifted a smooth rock from their mission and lobbed it under a nearby
bush. A simple act that for some reason caught the Witch's attention for a moment, but then she returned to her digging.
With dust-filled nostrils and grime-covered hands, Peggy and Phineas gouged out the hole until they became aware of the mess
they were making. Piles of dirt lay on flattened grass and it would be obvious to the earlier-mentioned browser of pasturage that
something important was buried here. "Ah' think we've been a bit too keen" Peggy murmured jocularly to her smudged-friend as
they inspected the zone of their work and realised they wouldn't be able to return the abandoned grave back to its original state.
Peggy stood up and adjusted her poncho when she realised her comportment had been too revealing for a gentleman of Phineas'
polite station and mused on the wreckage they had unwittingly accomplished. To a farmer, it would seem like a fox had decided to
make its den along the hedges and that would demand exhumation of the chicken-killing critter. The bones of Accam Dey might be
found and that could lead to an entirely different problem.
"It's a bugger n' a half, Ah know..." the Last Witch of Underhill cussed and made a decision that -if she'd reflected about it later,
would realise it was another sign that her old-self had returned. "...but, Ah' think we'll have te' tek' Accam Dey with us" Peggy
advised with less mettle in her voice than she'd hoped for. Phineas merely lifted his chin in a manner to suggest an amiable
compliance and went back to scooping out handfuls of root and worm-riddled soil. Peggy fondly patted his shoulder and then
wiped away the dirt she'd left. Kneeling into the unfastidious trough, she joined in with the task of finding the monster's remains.
...................................................
It was nearing midnight when they reached the point where the simple neglected track met the sea-cobbles of the celebrated
Calder's Way and the sound of the horse's hooves hinted of a return to the civilised side of life that Peggy felt had been a factor
in her recent despondency. The exhausted passengers of the cart both smelled of sweat and the land, an aroma the begrimed
and weary sorceress found soothingly welcoming, like a friend who she hadn't visited in a long time.
This smile-provoking sentiment caused her to look at the man holding the reins beside her.
"Yer've done me a great favour, yer' know?..." Peggy cooed as the full moon came into view. "...Puddledown's problem was getting
to me, but with what we have tonight, Ah'm sure we can fix two problems at once" she whispered and hoped she didn't sound too
mysterious. Phineas clucked the horse to pick up its pace and nodded. "Whey Aye me-good woman..." he fondly burlesqued his
companion, "... I could see something was effecting you, but just know that whatever you're dealing with, be certain I'm here with
you if you need me". It was dark and whether the little grinning Witch saw his wink of fellowship or not, we'll never know.
...................................................
Two figures under the bright ball in the night sky. A horse tied to a dry-stone wall and allowing its tilted back-leg next to a pile of
drying dung, to indicate the nag was snoozing. A dirt-smudged jacket laying on the damp grass of a tranquil meadow where dullard
sheep huddle at the one end of the field and wait with regurgitated mouthfuls of grass for any signs of danger.
The contents of that coat were being carefully set-out by the smaller of the pair, whilst the other surveyed the darkness for any crafty
poacher chancing a careless rabbit or a concupiscent couple chancing a quick romp under the stars.
All deeds in a surreptitious tableau to a taboo-ritual that will bring Accam Dey from the dead... hopefully temporarily.
...................................................
The vacant sockets of the skull stared across to where Peggy dragged a stick through the soil of the pasture in a crude circle around
the rest of Accam Dey's skeleton. The little Witch had warned her cohort of two things when he agreed to stand guard during the dark
ceremony and made sure Phineas knew why.
"Divna' let him get near the bones..." she warned and looked up at the shadowed face of the man who'd once lived a quiet life and
who's only concern was whether his rhubarb avoided weevils this year. "...But stay over near the gate, Ah' divna' want him to clap
his eyes on yer', okay?" Peggy breathed huskily and patted Phineas' forearm in support.
The retired Shoemaker nodded at the peculiar mandates and felt a pang to be home in front of his fireplace. His world was safe and
warm, where the little bare-footed Mystic's domain was dressed in ill-boding gloom and fang-bearing demons. "Okay" he mumbled
and went to check on the dozing horse, he knew when he was out of his depth.
The stars rolled west as Peggy walked her homemade miz-maze and hushed the words of vivication. One hour turned into two as the
ancient conjuration spilled from the Witch's lips and tread the path that many spellbinders had never even heard, never-mind spoken.
From time to time, Phineas would begin to approach the area of the meadow where his friend muttered and occasionally waved her
arms in the air. But his step would falter when he noticed the skull of the murderer of his mother and sister pulse with an inner glow.
' Ah' divna' want him to clap his eyes on yer' his soul prodded the reminder and with that, he scurried back to the where roadside
flowers bathed in the moonlight and horse-droppings steamed the last of its heat into the cold air.
"It has been some time since we last met, my-Peggy?..." the muscle-wrapped jaws of Accam Dey pronounced as the lush velvet of
the night sky began to dissolve into a soft blue of dawn. "...And I have so missed our talks" the half-constructed head added and the
lid-less eyes of a devil watched his weary awakener continue her march of majick.
"We haven't much time, so Ah' need yer' te' help me" Peggy croaked absently in her spell as she neared the bulk of muscle and
appearing flesh. Accam Dey blinked, a physical act that he hadn't done in many decades. The world he'd been unceremoniously
taken from still looked the same and stretching the chunk of meat in his mouth, he found that he had lips to lick too.
This was going to be fun.
"A canny person would bundle me in her bag and find a more private place to blather.." the fur-sprouting wolf suggested "...a canny
Spellbinder would take me home with her". Peggy stared with scorn for a few moments at the grinning head of the worst creature
to ever walk the land and spitting into the dew of the grass, she swore a word not common to necromancers.
"Come on my lady..." Accam Dey answered and slowly glanced towards the man slouched beside the drystone wall, "...I must have
allowed your driver to live for a reason" he rasped in a voice that sounded like it was from the bottom of a tomb.
...................................................
A few minutes later, the confused subject of Accam Dey's comment was helping the grumbling Witch stow a coat-wrapped bundle
of bones onto the back of the buggy, but knew better than to ask what was going on. "We're going" was all Peggy hissed as she
climbed into her seat with a grunt. Leaving Peggy deep within her thoughts, Phineas slapped the reins and headed for Puddledown.
"A new day and with it, another journey" he murmured optimistically to nobody, but his slouched companion may've begged to differ.
Especially considering what was in her satchel.
Seasonally-pruned hawthorn hedges ran along the edges of the field and where they arrived at Accam Dey's grave, the bushes
implied reluctance to continue their growth as a barrier. It seemed even in death, the Terror of Hexham still smouldered trepidity.
Tall meadow foxtails, ripe dandelions and rogue clumps of rye grew around the odd boulder discarded by a ploughing farmer
into the verge and for anyone gaily browsing the cereal-filled fields, would just come across a forgotten place where only the
unwanted resided. Fitting really -Phineas Stappen thought, as he helped his friend unearth the remains of the illustrious beast.
Peggy Powler was on her knees beside him and burrowing like a frenzied dog in search for a bone, another applicable term to
describe their clandestine actions -the Cobbler mused as he lifted a smooth rock from their mission and lobbed it under a nearby
bush. A simple act that for some reason caught the Witch's attention for a moment, but then she returned to her digging.
With dust-filled nostrils and grime-covered hands, Peggy and Phineas gouged out the hole until they became aware of the mess
they were making. Piles of dirt lay on flattened grass and it would be obvious to the earlier-mentioned browser of pasturage that
something important was buried here. "Ah' think we've been a bit too keen" Peggy murmured jocularly to her smudged-friend as
they inspected the zone of their work and realised they wouldn't be able to return the abandoned grave back to its original state.
Peggy stood up and adjusted her poncho when she realised her comportment had been too revealing for a gentleman of Phineas'
polite station and mused on the wreckage they had unwittingly accomplished. To a farmer, it would seem like a fox had decided to
make its den along the hedges and that would demand exhumation of the chicken-killing critter. The bones of Accam Dey might be
found and that could lead to an entirely different problem.
"It's a bugger n' a half, Ah know..." the Last Witch of Underhill cussed and made a decision that -if she'd reflected about it later,
would realise it was another sign that her old-self had returned. "...but, Ah' think we'll have te' tek' Accam Dey with us" Peggy
advised with less mettle in her voice than she'd hoped for. Phineas merely lifted his chin in a manner to suggest an amiable
compliance and went back to scooping out handfuls of root and worm-riddled soil. Peggy fondly patted his shoulder and then
wiped away the dirt she'd left. Kneeling into the unfastidious trough, she joined in with the task of finding the monster's remains.
...................................................
It was nearing midnight when they reached the point where the simple neglected track met the sea-cobbles of the celebrated
Calder's Way and the sound of the horse's hooves hinted of a return to the civilised side of life that Peggy felt had been a factor
in her recent despondency. The exhausted passengers of the cart both smelled of sweat and the land, an aroma the begrimed
and weary sorceress found soothingly welcoming, like a friend who she hadn't visited in a long time.
This smile-provoking sentiment caused her to look at the man holding the reins beside her.
"Yer've done me a great favour, yer' know?..." Peggy cooed as the full moon came into view. "...Puddledown's problem was getting
to me, but with what we have tonight, Ah'm sure we can fix two problems at once" she whispered and hoped she didn't sound too
mysterious. Phineas clucked the horse to pick up its pace and nodded. "Whey Aye me-good woman..." he fondly burlesqued his
companion, "... I could see something was effecting you, but just know that whatever you're dealing with, be certain I'm here with
you if you need me". It was dark and whether the little grinning Witch saw his wink of fellowship or not, we'll never know.
...................................................
Two figures under the bright ball in the night sky. A horse tied to a dry-stone wall and allowing its tilted back-leg next to a pile of
drying dung, to indicate the nag was snoozing. A dirt-smudged jacket laying on the damp grass of a tranquil meadow where dullard
sheep huddle at the one end of the field and wait with regurgitated mouthfuls of grass for any signs of danger.
The contents of that coat were being carefully set-out by the smaller of the pair, whilst the other surveyed the darkness for any crafty
poacher chancing a careless rabbit or a concupiscent couple chancing a quick romp under the stars.
All deeds in a surreptitious tableau to a taboo-ritual that will bring Accam Dey from the dead... hopefully temporarily.
...................................................
The vacant sockets of the skull stared across to where Peggy dragged a stick through the soil of the pasture in a crude circle around
the rest of Accam Dey's skeleton. The little Witch had warned her cohort of two things when he agreed to stand guard during the dark
ceremony and made sure Phineas knew why.
"Divna' let him get near the bones..." she warned and looked up at the shadowed face of the man who'd once lived a quiet life and
who's only concern was whether his rhubarb avoided weevils this year. "...But stay over near the gate, Ah' divna' want him to clap
his eyes on yer', okay?" Peggy breathed huskily and patted Phineas' forearm in support.
The retired Shoemaker nodded at the peculiar mandates and felt a pang to be home in front of his fireplace. His world was safe and
warm, where the little bare-footed Mystic's domain was dressed in ill-boding gloom and fang-bearing demons. "Okay" he mumbled
and went to check on the dozing horse, he knew when he was out of his depth.
The stars rolled west as Peggy walked her homemade miz-maze and hushed the words of vivication. One hour turned into two as the
ancient conjuration spilled from the Witch's lips and tread the path that many spellbinders had never even heard, never-mind spoken.
From time to time, Phineas would begin to approach the area of the meadow where his friend muttered and occasionally waved her
arms in the air. But his step would falter when he noticed the skull of the murderer of his mother and sister pulse with an inner glow.
' Ah' divna' want him to clap his eyes on yer' his soul prodded the reminder and with that, he scurried back to the where roadside
flowers bathed in the moonlight and horse-droppings steamed the last of its heat into the cold air.
"It has been some time since we last met, my-Peggy?..." the muscle-wrapped jaws of Accam Dey pronounced as the lush velvet of
the night sky began to dissolve into a soft blue of dawn. "...And I have so missed our talks" the half-constructed head added and the
lid-less eyes of a devil watched his weary awakener continue her march of majick.
"We haven't much time, so Ah' need yer' te' help me" Peggy croaked absently in her spell as she neared the bulk of muscle and
appearing flesh. Accam Dey blinked, a physical act that he hadn't done in many decades. The world he'd been unceremoniously
taken from still looked the same and stretching the chunk of meat in his mouth, he found that he had lips to lick too.
This was going to be fun.
"A canny person would bundle me in her bag and find a more private place to blather.." the fur-sprouting wolf suggested "...a canny
Spellbinder would take me home with her". Peggy stared with scorn for a few moments at the grinning head of the worst creature
to ever walk the land and spitting into the dew of the grass, she swore a word not common to necromancers.
"Come on my lady..." Accam Dey answered and slowly glanced towards the man slouched beside the drystone wall, "...I must have
allowed your driver to live for a reason" he rasped in a voice that sounded like it was from the bottom of a tomb.
...................................................
A few minutes later, the confused subject of Accam Dey's comment was helping the grumbling Witch stow a coat-wrapped bundle
of bones onto the back of the buggy, but knew better than to ask what was going on. "We're going" was all Peggy hissed as she
climbed into her seat with a grunt. Leaving Peggy deep within her thoughts, Phineas slapped the reins and headed for Puddledown.
"A new day and with it, another journey" he murmured optimistically to nobody, but his slouched companion may've begged to differ.
Especially considering what was in her satchel.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.