In celebration of Fantastic Books publishing of "The Boy In Winter's Grasp", here is the first in a series of short bogs introducing the main characters.   Meet 'The Master'.

Albert didn't know very much about the Master of Cragtop. Cragtop was perched high on the rocks a few miles from the village and had always seemed to attract strangers. Like his predecessors, the current owner had been the subject of village gossip when he arrived in 1911. He lived alone, apart from an elderly manservant, and had made no attempt to make friends with the locals in the three years since.

There had been wild stories about him from the villagers. “I hear he mined in Africa.” Thomas had said, buying tobacco in the crowded shop one morning. “Got rich finding diamonds on land he stole from the Boers.”

“He’s the mark of a slave trader, if you ask me.” Old Clem had replied. Old Clem had once been to sea and so considered himself the authority on most things beyond the village. “It’s in the eyes. I saw ‘em all over in the old days. ‘Orrible buggers.”

Like anything fresh though, eventually he had became old news and the villagers had found other things to talk about. On the rare occasions he was seen in the village, people would nod politely and perhaps say that they saw him, but other than that no-one much cared.

Albert thought differently though. The Master of Cragtop was a wizard.

Extract from "The Boy In Winter's Grasp" © 2014 John D Scotcher

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