The Spook's Bestiary - By Joseph Delaney Page 0,35

marked on the stone. It is vital to write the witch’s full name below the symbols to identify her. Being women, they are subtle and may change over time. Each history must be consulted in my Chipenden library.

Finally, as with boggarts, the name of the spook who carried out the binding should be written directly under the witch’s name.

Dealing with Dead Witches

Witches are sometimes hanged, then given to their families for burial, but this achieves little.

One problem when dealing with witches is that for most, death isn’t the end of them. They are bone bound, their spirits trapped in their corpses, so if a witch is simply buried, one night she’ll scratch her way to the surface and go hunting for victims and suck their blood to renew her strength.

Witches vary in power. A really strong witch might roam for miles in a single night; others can only drag themselves a few paces and often hide under moldering leaves, waiting for someone to pass close to their lair.20

Below are the important stages in the process of binding a dead witch.

1. Hire a master mason and a blacksmith. Both tradesmen should have previous experience of the task at hand. Set them to work constructing a stone-and-iron cover for the pit.

2. Dig a pit to contain the body of the witch. This should be a shaft nine feet deep and six feet long by three feet wide.

3. Next, ease the body into the pit headfirst. When night falls, unaware of her orientation, the dead witch will mistakenly dig herself deeper into the ground.

4. Next the mason and blacksmith must work together to construct the thirteen bars that will cover the pit, each bolted to a rim of stones.21

Dealing with Live Witches

First, a malevolent witch must be captured; This is best accomplished by use of a silver chain. The technique for casting the chain can only be acquired by hours of practice against targets: My apprentice must test his skills first against the post in my garden, then against moving targets. I also practice regularly, as it wouldn’t do to let these skills get rusty. Below are the general principles involved.

1. The silver chain should be coiled about the left wrist.

2. It should be cast with a twisting upward motion of the hand so that it spins widdershins, against the clock.

3. Enough elevation should be gained so that it drops over the witch, tightening as it falls, but not enough that she has time to evade it.

4. It is important to achieve a degree of what we call spread. This means that the chain should bind the witch from head to knee. With sufficient practice, it is possible to ensure that the chain tightens against her teeth. Her silence is desirable. She may attempt to use dark magic.

Once captured, the witch must be dealt with. Burning, cruel though it is, destroys the witch for all time. Another good method is to eat the heart of the witch. This barbarous but reliable method is not usually practiced in the County, but some spooks kill a witch, then feed her heart to their dogs.22 One other reliable method of dealing with a witch—the one I use—is to keep her in a pit reinforced with iron bars.

Below are the important stages of the process of binding a live witch in a pit.

1. Hire a master mason and a blacksmith. Both tradesmen should be reliable and experienced. They should also have strong nerves because dealing with a live witch can be very dangerous.

2. Dig the pit. This should be nine feet deep, six feet wide, and six feet long.

3. With a strong witch, line the walls with a mixture of salt and iron. Leave the floor of the pit clear so that she can survive on a diet of slugs and insects. When dealing with feral lamias or water witches, a cage of iron bars needs to be constructed and buried in the ground (both types of witch can burrow).

4. The critical point is getting the witch into the pit. The silver chain should bind her until the very last moment. The skill lies in rolling the witch into the pit, simultaneously uncoiling the chain. This can only be learned by practice.

5. Finally, stay in attendance until the mason and smith have sealed the pit.

This technique has one serious but fortunately rare drawback. After being kept in a pit for many years, eating slugs and worms, the water seeping into her flesh and bones, an extremely strong