The third time I paused, it happened. There was no warning. I didn’t hear a thing. I simply felt it. A hand slithered up onto my boot, and before I could move away, it gripped my left ankle hard.

I felt the strength in that grip. It was as if my ankle was being crushed. When I looked down, all I could see was a pair of red eyes glaring up at me out of the darkness. Terrified, I jabbed down blindly towards the unseen hand that was clutching my ankle.

I was too late. My ankle was jerked violently and I fell to the ground, the impact driving all the breath from my body. What was worse, the staff went flying from my hand, leaving me defenceless.

The Spook's Apprentice Chapter 9