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Back The Darkest Shore
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

‘He said he’s going to do his duty by God and his flock to save the Weem. When I asked, “What from?” he said, “The likes of you and your witch friends.” I started to laugh, Sorcha, even though his words felt like hoarfrost in my blood. That’s when he grabbed my elbow and said, “Enjoy the cold while you can, Mrs White, for where I am sending you, it is damn hot.’’’

Nettie rubbed her arm and stared mournfully at Sorcha.

‘He’s up to something, hen — and it’s not just trying to convince the parish our pardons are meaningless, I tell you. Just when I thought this was all over and we could return to our lives, he’s planning another salvo in this war.’

Sorcha reached for Nettie’s hand and held it tightly. ‘A war against us. Not witches, but women.’

‘Aye,’ said Nettie. ‘Only this time, I’m afraid he’s going to win.’

With a sinking heart, Sorcha knew she was afraid, too.

PART THREE

November 1704 to 30th January 1705

They asked her how she came to say any thing that was not true; she cried out ‘Alas, alas, I behoved to say so, to please the minister and bailies;’ and in the meantime, she begged for Christ’s sake not to tell that she had said so, else she would be murdered.

— Privy Council Minute, at Edinburgh, 15th day of February 1705, The Annals of Pittenweem, Being Notes and Extracts from the Ancient Records of that Burgh

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Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.

— Exodus 22:18 King James Bible

Thirty-Six

THIRTY-SIX

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He be a muckle sumph.

(He is a stupid person.)

Alexander McGregor was a simple man. A fisherman for as many years as he’d been alive on God’s good earth, he did his job, went to the kirk regularly and, if he enjoyed more than a dram or two each night in the tavern and within his own four walls, God would forgive him.

All the same, he couldn’t help but think on Reverend Cowper’s words that Sunday. For months now, the reverend had spoken of witchcraft and witches as if they were striding the streets of the village day and night. As if it was just a matter of time before the likes of Janet Cornfoot or those others who’d been accused ran amok and they were all killed in their beds — or worse, recruited into Satan’s dark army to wreak havoc. The very notion made Alexander shiver and pull the thin blanket tighter across his shoulders.