Shadows at Stonewylde

15



It was dark in the Stone Circle and people were gradually arriving via the Long Walk, adults in their ceremony robes, children in their tunics and cloaks, all wrapped warmly against the early morning chill of December. Everything was ready; cakes and mead set out on the flat stones around the Altar Stone. Rufus stood with Greenbough next to the great bonfire ready to climb up the ladder to the top, although it was not yet time. The pewter pendants were laid out carefully, ready to be presented to the new adults, and the families had come with the brand new ceremony robes they’d prepared. The stones were beautiful with their Yule decorations: holly, ivy, mistletoe, deer and the golden suns, although it was still far too dark to appreciate them. No sign of dawn yet streaking the south eastern skies.

It was a dark, cloudy morning and Greenbough was whispering instructions to Rufus about using the watch and getting the timing just right, for it looked doubtful that the sun’s rays would be visible with such cloud obscuring the sky. It was a shame; nothing beat the magic of the long golden rays hitting the magus as he stood resplendent in glittering gold robes up on the Altar Stone, chanting in the full glory of the Solstice. But it couldn’t be helped and at least they had the watch and didn’t have to guess. The red-haired boy was very nervous, shaking with fear, and Greenbough put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

‘You’ll be fine, lad – take a deep breath and stay calm. Mind your step on the ladder coming down when you’re holding the torch. Just do it like we’ve practised.’

Rufus nodded, his velvet brown eyes scared. He knew how important it was that the Herald of Dawn did his task perfectly and was terrified of letting Yul down.

Yul stood behind the Altar Stone watching people arrive. He felt really awful, his mouth dry and his head throbbing. He closed his eyes and fought the dizziness and nausea. Cider didn’t usually affect him like this but he’d drunk so much last night, seemingly bent on self-annihilation. He remembered Swift constantly at his side, bringing him more cider every time the tankard was getting low. He liked the blond-haired boy, so quiet and attentive, who’d asked him all sorts of intelligent questions and was so respectful and deferential. Swift had shown such admiration and regard for him which was a pleasant change after all the rubbish others had been dishing out lately. But Yul knew he shouldn’t have drunk so much, especially not when he had this ceremony to lead.

There were great blanks in his memory. He knew he’d been sitting against a tree trunk for a long time with Swift by his side. He remembered the singing and the drumming, the deep reverberating beat entering his body and making him feel so good. He’d wanted to get up and dance to it, join in with the youngsters and the other men who’d put on the antlers and started a tribal dance around the fire and the remains of the feast. Swift had helped him up, staggering under the weight of such a tall man for the boy was lightly built. He’d flicked the straight, silvery hair from his eyes and grinned at Yul, helping him to stand steadily as everything swayed around him. For some reason they had both found this hilarious and Yul remembered roaring with laughter, feeling better than he’d done for a long time.

But later … he cringed now at the thought of it, not wanting to explore the memory but unable to stop it. Eventually they’d decided to return to the Hall for they must be up early for this ceremony. The youngsters were reeling about merrily, all except for Swift who’d probably been the only sober one there. Swift had helped Yul crawl into the cart which had been there all day, the horses tethered to the trees. Most of them had managed to walk back, the physical effort helping them to sober up. But Swift had insisted that Yul ride in the cart, along with the nearly empty cider barrel, drums and bows and arrows. Yul wasn’t in any fit state to argue and had spent the rolling journey home trying to hold on to the contents of his stomach. When they’d arrived back at the Hall Swift had helped him down and taken his arm to lead him inside.

‘Can’t remember the last time I came home like this,’ slurred Yul, leaning heavily on the boy.

‘Well, why not? You’re the magus after all. If you can’t have a few drinks when you want, who can? No harm in that,’ said Swift.

‘Sylvie won’t approve,’ muttered Yul.

‘I don’t see why not. Why should anyone not approve? It’s the man’s night after all, isn’t it? Nothing to do with the women – they’ve got their own party. I thought that was the whole point of the separate Rite celebrations. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and the women have to accept that.’

‘Yeah,’ giggled Yul, trying hard to climb the wide stairs and stumbling all over the place. ‘If she doesn’t like it, she can lump it.’

‘Show her who’s boss,’ laughed Swift.

‘That’s right. Who’s the lord and master.’

Sylvie had been waiting up, sitting in a chair by the dying fire. She frowned at the state of him, glancing at the smirking boy by his side who clearly found the sight of his incapacitated magus highly amusing.

‘Now don’t start having a go at me!’ Yul had mumbled when he saw the look on her face. ‘I’m not taking any of your nagging tonight – I don’t wanna know. And why aren’t you in bed waiting for me?’

‘Thank you, Swift,’ she said curtly to Martin’s son standing quietly by, watching the scene. ‘Good night.’

‘Thanks, Swift!’ called Yul, far too loudly. ‘I won’t forget what a good drinking companion you’ve been. See you in the morning!’

‘Sssh!’ hissed Sylvie. ‘You’ll wake the girls!’

‘Don’t shush me! I’ll make as much noise as I like. I’m the magus and it’s about time you remembered that.’

When Swift had gone, she tried to make Yul sit down and listen.

‘Something awful happened tonight,’ she began, attempting to manoeuvre him into a chair.

‘I don’t want to know,’ he muttered indistinctly. ‘I’m sick of all the worry and trouble. I’ve had a great night and all I want now is to get to bed – with you, my darling. Always want you, constantly. It’s been too long. Come on, Sylvie, come to bed.’

‘No! You must listen, Yul. It’s Leveret, she tried to do something terrible tonight. She—’

‘What?’ he roared. ‘That bloody girl again! I’ll sort her out once and for all. Where is she?’

He lurched towards the door but she grabbed his arm.

‘Yul, I know you’re drunk but please, you must listen. She’s not here – she’s in the hospital wing. She’s fine now, but she tried to kill herself tonight. And her friend, Magpie – they tried to commit suicide.’

Yul stared at her, his addled brain trying to make sense of what she’d told him.

‘Tried to kill herself? No – she’s not that stupid.’

‘Not stupid, Yul, just deeply unhappy. Why else would a young Stonewylder try to go to the Otherworld before their time’s up? I told you I wanted to talk to her. I could see there was something terribly wrong but you wouldn’t let me.’

He turned on her and glared belligerently.

‘Oh right, so it was all my fault! Everything’s always my fault, isn’t it, Sylvie? Blame me for this as well.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous – it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just very sad that she felt desperate enough to try and take her life. But she’s fine, no harm done. She’s sleeping now and Maizie’s with her.’

Yul shook his head, his eyes still unfocused and confused.

‘Poor Mother! The things that girl has put her through, and now this. Leveret probably didn’t mean it anyway – just trying to get more attention. I’ve got to sort her out.’

‘No, Yul. You’ve got to listen to her instead of shouting at her, but not now. You’re right – you need to get to bed. We’ll think about this in the morning.’

She started to guide him towards the bedroom. He leered at her and she suddenly felt as if she didn’t know this dark-haired, handsome man one bit. This wasn’t her Yul.

‘Keen now, are you? About time too! Come on then, Sylvie – I’d better make the most of it, hadn’t I?’

The rest of the night was something he didn’t want to think about now, not with the ceremony about to start soon. He looked around and saw Sylvie, beautiful in her dark green and silver robes with patterns of Yule evergreens embroidered in fine detail, the mistletoe and holly berries picked out with fresh-water pearls and red garnet. She was completely ignoring him and he didn’t blame her. He just hoped she’d excuse his behaviour on the grounds of drunkenness, because he’d never, ever have treated her like that if he’d been sober. He shook his head at the thought of it and wished he hadn’t, for it felt like his brain was rattling about in his skull.

The great Circle was now packed with bodies and there was a feeling of expectancy and hush. It would soon be time for the Herald of Dawn to light the torch but before that happened, Yul should be up on the Altar Stone chanting the sacred words to invite the sun. Words that seemed to have escaped him right now. Stumbling slightly he climbed up, swaying as he found his balance, and the drums began a soft beat. He caught sight of Swift’s silver hair as he stood amongst the other youngsters waiting to be acknowledged as adults. The boy grinned at him and Yul grimaced back. Then he began the tortuous task of remembering the chants.

The ceremony was not one of the better ones and everything that could go wrong did. Yul tripped over the words and there were even embarrassing silences whilst he desperately tried to recall what came next. The damn ceremonies were too long, he thought irritably. Rufus caught his mood and panicked up in the crow’s nest, forgetting what time he should look for on the watch and Greenbough’s hissed commands were audible to everyone, destroying the magic of the moment. Then the boy slipped coming down the ladder with the burning torch and his cry of alarm was heard in the silence, making some of the children giggle irreverently.

There were no bright rays to gild the glowing magus and Yul only felt a tremor of Earth Magic spiral up from the Altar Stone, not the great rush he normally experienced. There was no green fire, no power blazing from his fìnger tips and filling his soul with joy. Sylvie looked as sour as an unripe apple and refused to meet his eye at all. When the moment came to pass the energy on to his people, to share his magic with the community, he could tell from their bewildered faces that they’d felt nothing at all. He wasn’t surprised – he had nothing to give them. The queue of folk waiting to take his hands and receive their customary share of the Green Magic looked on in surprise as people in front of them left the Altar Stone muttering and complaining. Yul stood there dejectedly feeling as if the Goddess had jilted him.

Sylvie, meanwhile, was also having a bad time. She was trying very hard not to dwell on the awful night she’d spent with Yul. The only way she could deal with it was to put his brutality down to the cider; he’d never behaved like that before. Today she felt sore and soiled, like damaged goods, and it would take a long time to forgive him for that. She knew he was struggling with the ceremony but hearing him stumble over the words filled her with a certain amount of satisfaction – served him right.

She thought back to that glorious Winter Solstice sunrise thirteen years ago when she and Yul had stood together on the Altar Stone like bright angels, locked in an embrace so fierce and eternal that nothing could have broken them apart. She recalled the sizzle of green Earth Magic that had spiralled around her handsome Yul, radiating from within him so that every single person in the Stone Circle was blessed with his luminosity. And now she gazed at him with candid eyes and didn’t like what she saw. He looked terrible, pale and waxy, his eyes blood-shot and puffy. He’d made a complete mess of the beautiful ritual, reducing it to a meaningless jumble of words and phrases with no heart to it. And as for the so-called communion of energy …

Sylvie felt the restlessness within the Circle and the surprise at just how lacking in the usual magic this ceremony was proving to be. People around her were muttering and fidgeting and there was an atmosphere of real disappointment. Martin stood by the Altar Stone and had been helping with the cakes and mead, as he always did, but the look he gave Yul was one of contempt. Sylvie couldn’t really blame him because she felt the same way. How could he have let himself get so very intoxicated last night, knowing how important this ceremony was to everyone? How could he spoil the youngsters’ Rite of Adulthood like this?

Then Sylvie got the shock of her life. She stood near the Altar Stone, having her own part to play in the rituals. The youngsters were getting ready for the presentation of their robes and pendants, jostling about and lining up. Miranda was trying to ensure Yul had the pendants ready in the right order, and he was swaying and looking even paler than before. Sylvie felt a throb of anger towards him for ruining the rituals, and looked up across the Circle for a moment. She had the strangest sensation of being watched, which was ridiculous as many people were watching. But something was making her skin prickle.

There, standing right at the back of the crowd leaning against one of the stones, she thought she saw Magus. It was too far away and murky to be sure, but it looked so like him – tall and well-built with glinting silver hair. Her heart leapt in her chest and at the same time she felt panic rise in her throat. She also felt a strange, sinking feeling of inevitability as the crowd spun dizzily in front of her. Events were spiralling out of control, things were falling apart, and her love for Yul was at an all time low.

*

Leveret lay on the narrow hospital-wing bed and gazed out of the window. It was a cold, grey dawn and she imagined the rest of the community all up at the Stone Circle right now, the bonfire blazing and the drum-beats echoing in everyone’s souls. This was the first ceremony she’d ever missed in her life and it felt very strange not to be a part of the heartbeat of Stonewylde. She looked across to Magpie’s bed and was alarmed to see it stripped and empty. Her heart jolted but then with a sob of relief, she saw that he lay underneath it, all the bedclothes crumpled up into a nest, sleeping peacefully. She doubted he’d ever slept in a proper bed before. His bruised and filthy face was child-like in its innocence and she thanked the goddess she hadn’t killed him after all.

She looked across to the other bed where Maizie lay asleep, her dark curls spread on the white pillow. As she gazed at her mother’s plump face, relaxed at last after last night’s frantic worry, Leveret felt a great lump in her throat and the ready tears prickled her sore eyes. She’d cried so much and felt emotionally wrung out, drained and exhausted. She also felt like a complete fool.

Her mother’s reaction as she’d come barging into the wing not long after Leveret and Magpie’s arrival had proved that Maizie loved her as much as ever. Maizie had crushed her in such an embrace, scooping her daughter onto her lap as if she were still a little girl, cradling her tight and planting endless kisses all over her face, interspersed with breathless, sobbing entreaties.

‘How could you do that, Leveret? Don’t you know how precious you are? Don’t you realise how much I love you? What were you thinking? You silly, silly girl! Oh – please Goddess say ‘tis not Death Cap! It can’t be – you’d be suffering by now if ‘twas. Don’t you ever, ever do anything like that again, do you hear me, girl? To think I almost lost you. I might still but – oh, no ‘twill be some other mushroom, I’m sure! Oh, Leveret, how could you so such a thing? You’re my special child, my very special little one, and I nearly lost you!’

On and on it went, rocking her like a baby, washing her with tears. Leveret had cried uncontrollably too, clinging to her mother and basking in the comfort of her soft, warm bosom. The nurse left them to it for a while as she tried to undress Magpie and get him into bed. But he’d screeched in panic and made such a fuss that Hazel and the nurse had given in and concentrated on putting him into bed fully-clothed. Then they’d done the same with Leveret, prising her from her mother’s grasp and giving everyone a warm, soothing drink.

Leveret sighed deeply, feeling safe and warm and so very pleased that the suicide attempt hadn’t worked. She was amazed at how suddenly the prospect of entering the Otherworld had become the worst thing ever, when only yesterday it was what she longed for most. The huge crushing weight of misery that had sapped her will to continue had lifted instantly the moment she realised just how much her mother truly loved her.

Leveret should have been lying on the Snake Stone right now, chilled and sluggish with hypothermia after a night out in the midwinter cold, the poison inside her body attacking her vital organs irrevocably. She may even have been dead by now. One of the reasons she’d chosen Death Cap above other poisons was because she knew there was no antidote. The victims always, without exception, died … except that, like an idiot, she’d used the wrong mushroom.

She remembered Clip’s triumphant entrance into the room not long after Maizie’s hysterical arrival, shouting at the top of his voice that it was False Death Cap they’d taken, which was completely harmless. Although she was so relieved now that it hadn’t worked, she felt stupid for making such a mistake. Everyone accepted Old Violet’s identification, although Hazel had been on the phone to Guy’s Hospital to verify the details and possible symptoms. Somebody had been despatched from Stonewylde with the remaining mushroom, instructed to drive through the night to the Toxicology Department for scientific identification. But Leveret knew she hadn’t poisoned herself – she’d have felt it by now. All she felt was hungry, exhausted and very embarrassed at the thought of facing the community. As far as she knew no young Stonewylder had ever tried to take their own life before.

*

Much later in the day Leveret watched a crow flapping about in the cold, wintry air and eventually landing on a branch outside the window. The crow fixed her with its beady eye and let out an enormous croak. She stared intently at the clumsy, scruffy bird as it struggled to balance. Then it began a song of unholy cacophony making such a noise that the nurse came rushing in and banged on the window to frighten it off. Leveret smiled to herself – Mother Heggy hadn’t left her after all.

She looked across at Magpie, still amazed at his transformation. They’d had to sedate him that morning in order to get him into the bath. He’d been soaked and scrubbed clean, the head lice eradicated, and he now wore a warm Stonewylde nightshirt. His ribs were bandaged and all his injuries dressed. She hardly recognised him – his hair was a lovely shade of rich butterscotch and his eyes glowed turquoise in a clean face. His fingernails had been cut and teeth given a thorough clean and everyone was amazed to find that underneath all the dirt Magpie was really a lovely young man, despite the bruises on his face. He was so very proud of himself, constantly stroking his own skin and hair and beaming at her.

‘You mustn’t send him home,’ Leveret said to Hazel when the doctor visited in the lull between events in the Village.

‘Absolutely not,’ Hazel had agreed. ‘He’s quite badly malnourished and many of the injuries aren’t recent, so he’s clearly been abused for some time. I feel terrible that I hadn’t realised before. I think half the trouble is that it’s Martin’s family who are responsible – nobody likes to interfere.’

Leveret thought grimly of the many blind eyes that had been turned at Magpie’s plight all his life. But today wasn’t the time for blame and recriminations, not when Magpie was at last being given the care and treatment he’d needed all along.

‘We’ll keep him in the hospital wing over Yuletide whilst his ribs heal,’ Hazel continued, ‘and then Yul will have to make arrangements for him to move up to the Hall. Magpie certainly won’t be going back to his mother’s house, I promise. I can’t understand why he hasn’t come to live here already. He’s sixteen, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, but his mother insisted she needed him at home to help with the heavy work because they don’t have a man in the house, and nobody’s ever stood up to those women. They’ve always got away with treating poor Magpie badly and he’s been nothing but a work-horse all his life.’

‘Well it’s going to stop now. I remember Magpie as a little boy, the tests I did trying to find out what was wrong and why he couldn’t speak. I should have pursued it further and kept a closer eye on him but it was always difficult. I can see why now – his mother was clearly covering up the ill-treatment. I do feel bad about it.’

Hazel’s kind brown eyes were downcast.

‘Because he can’t speak, he’s been ignored,’ said Leveret sadly. ‘I’ve tried so many times to tell everyone what’s been going on …’

‘Don’t worry, Leveret,’ said Hazel firmly. ‘From now on I’ll be looking out for Magpie’s welfare.’

Clip too came for a visit, his wispy white hair and twinkling eyes a welcome sight. Leveret had surprised herself by flinging her arms around him and hugging him for a long, fierce moment, much to his delight. Nobody had ever really shown him a great deal of affection.

‘You’re determined to muscle in on my journeying, aren’t you, Leveret?’ he’d said when she released him, slightly embarrassed at her spontaneous burst of emotion. ‘First Samhain and now the Solstice. I’d planned a peaceful couple of days up in my Dolmen away from all the fun, but you’ve plunged me right into the action.’

‘I’ll never forget that you came to rescue me,’ she said. ‘Even though the mushrooms weren’t lethal, the long night in the cold air could’ve killed us, being so hungry and exhausted. And Quarrycleave itself, that feeling there … I’m so pleased you worked out where we were and what I was intending to do.’

‘It was my silver wolf who led me to you. You have to promise me you’ll never do it again, Leveret.’

‘Never! I’ve seen what it did to Mother – I wouldn’t put her through that again no matter how bad I felt.’

‘And you’re feeling better now?’

‘Oh yes! Although nothing’s really changed, I somehow feel that I can deal with it all now. Magpie’s going to be safe now that Hazel’s aware of the problems he had at home, and hopefully Mother won’t always take my brothers’ side. I’ll just have to try and win Rosie over in time.’

‘I’m sure you will,’ Clip smiled, relieved at her change of heart. ‘And I hear you’re going home tomorrow? Maizie’s keen to have you back now?’

Leveret nodded happily.

‘We’re really going to start again. She knows I must gather what I need sometimes, and in return I’ll always tell her what I’m doing rather than sneak off.’

‘That’s good. I don’t expect you wanted to deceive her to begin with, did you?’

‘No, it made me feel very guilty. It’s just I felt this … this compulsion to go ahead. I wanted to start practising magic, you see.’

‘And you still want to be a Wise Woman one day?’

‘I do, definitely, but I’m not making a fuss about it now. There’s ages till I have to leave school and I’m hoping by then Mother will come round to my way of thinking.’

He looked at her carefully, noting how the sparkle had come back into her green eyes. She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl, while being strange and different, and he felt a real affinity with her.

‘I’d like to help you, Leveret, if you’re agreeable. I’m not that wise myself but I have a lot of knowledge. I can guide you when you start journeying and give you books to read to help you on your path. I’ve collected a great deal over the years. It may not be the sort of knowledge Mother Heggy had and you will need herbalist knowledge like hers too, but you live in a different time and you need to know things she didn’t. Would you like me to help?’

‘Oh yes please! I need a guide, a mentor. I’m always groping about in the dark and I never know if I’m on the right track.’

‘Well I’m pleased you were wrong about the mushrooms at least. Someone was looking out for you last night, I’m sure.’

As he left Clip patted her arm affectionately.

‘One more thing, Leveret – don’t mention this to Yul, will you? I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of any guidance I might give you. I don’t think Yul likes me much.’

‘I’d never tell anything to Yul. I don’t like him much, to be honest. He’s not the person he used to be.’

The next day Marigold came to visit bringing a great tray of Yuletide treats. She hugged Leveret and gave her a thorough telling off for being so silly, then she went to Magpie’s bed and sat there stroking his hand.

‘This poor boy! You look so different now, Magpie. You’re all clean and scrubbed, aren’t you?’

He beamed at her, pulling her hand onto his head to feel his soft, shiny hair.

‘He’s very proud of himself,’ said Leveret fondly. ‘I think with a bit of encouragement he’ll learn to enjoy baths. Have you heard he’s going to be moved up to the Hall, away from those evil women?’

‘About time too! I always said they was evil, didn’t I? Wicked and cruel, and Goddess knows what they done to him over the years, the poor boy. I always said—’

‘I’m a bit worried about how he’ll cope with boarding here, though. You know how everyone teases him and I want to keep him well away from Jay. Jay’s the one who broke his ribs and beat him up.’

‘Aye – less said about him the better, I’m ashamed to say. But Leveret, I been thinking about this carefully,’ said Marigold slowly, scanning Magpie’s guileless face and still stroking his hand. ‘I’m going to ask Yul if Magpie can come and live with me in my cottage. I’ve an empty room and Cherry can help me look after him. I reckon he needs a bit of mothering, poor mite. What do you think?’

Leveret was practically speechless with joy at this suggestion. Cherry and Marigold, their families long grown up and in their own homes, lived together in one of the small cottages that tucked into the Hall near the large kitchen courtyard. The homes were for people who worked full time in the Hall and it would be an ideal solution for Magpie. The two women would really care for him in the maternal way he needed and she needn’t worry about his welfare any more.

‘And just think,’ said Marigold as she left. ‘Wouldn’t those three hags just hate my having him? Sweet revenge for their taking Jay away from me all them years ago!’

The one visit Leveret was dreading was Yul’s, for she knew how angry he must be with her. She confided in her mother, who promised to keep him away until he’d calmed down. Yul had been stalking around under a black cloud all through the festivities, upsetting people without thinking and generally dampening the spirits of those around him. Even he didn’t know what was the matter with him. Everything he did seemed to go wrong, starting with the first Solstice celebration and going on from there. He couldn’t get the Yule Log to light. He’d dropped the flaming torch during the evening ceremony at the Circle, reminding himself forcefully of the ceremony when Magus had done the same thing all those years ago at the Summer Solstice. The Earth Magic was very weak and he knew there was something wrong but didn’t know how to put it right.

During the Yule party he’d managed to get really drunk again without planning to at all. Swift had come over for a chat, building on the relationship forged between him and the magus on the night of his Rite of Adulthood. Before he’d realised it Yul was knocking back mead by the bottleful, assisted by the sober young man. Luckily there hadn’t been a repeat of the previous fiasco with Sylvie, but only because he’d stayed down in his study and virtually passed out on the sofa. Even then he’d woken at some point in the night and considered going up to their bedroom to make love with her, telling himself that he was her husband and she had no right to be so cold and frigid. Fortunately he fell asleep again before he could do anything about it.

The whole holiday was terrible with Sylvie avoiding him at every opportunity and his own daughters eyeing him warily. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he sensed a certain hostility amongst some of the folk, which he could only put down to the disappointing lack of Earth Magic at the festival. People seemed to avoid him, or at best watched their tongues when he was around. Yul had never felt so cold-shouldered by Stonewylders before, but without anything tangible he wondered if perhaps he was simply being a little paranoid. Whatever the case, it did nothing to improve his bad temper.

The unwanted visit came when Leveret had gone back home with Maizie, having first been promised by both Hazel and Marigold that they’d look out for Magpie and keep Jay well away from him. Leveret was now back in the cottage where she’d lived all her life and basking in Maizie’s affection. She had yet to face the rest of the community and was dreading it, feeling so ashamed of herself and what she’d tried to do. She made excuses when Maizie tried to persuade her to come and join in the fun at the Barn, saying she still felt wobbly and tired. She actually felt very well indeed having caught up with her sleep and eaten fit to burst.

It was whilst Maizie was organising the children’s treasure hunt around the Village that Yul arrived unannounced. Leveret was reading a book by the fire, curled up in one of the old leather armchairs. The door swung open and her eldest brother stood on the threshold, tall and filling the doorway with his muscular frame. She looked up startled, her heart starting to skip with fear. He triggered a memory from way back in her past – of an enormous man standing on the threshold looking in. Had that been the old Magus?

Yul frowned down at her and she was struck by how changed he looked. Although he was still very handsome – the chiselled face and deep grey eyes would always ensure that – his hair was unkempt, falling into his eyes, and his mouth hard.

‘Good! I was hoping to find you here.’

He stepped in and firmly shut the door behind him.

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ she asked politely, knowing the kettle was bubbling gently on the range.

‘No … yes, some mead if Mother’s got any. It’s cold out there.’

She was a little surprised but duly poured him a glass which he sipped slowly, watching her all the while. She felt very uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

‘You’re looking well, Leveret.’

‘Thank you, I feel fine now.’

‘I can’t help but think you came out of this too lightly. Violent stomach pains or cramps might’ve put you off ever trying it again.’

‘I won’t ever try it again.’

‘Really? Even though it’s proved so effective this time?’

She stared at him in puzzlement. Surely he didn’t think she’d just done it for effect? That had never even occurred to her.

‘Hit a nerve, have I?’

‘No. I thought I was going to die – that’s what I wanted.’

He rolled his eyes at this and scowled at her.

‘I just can’t make you out, Leveret. You’ve got everything you could ever wish for. Your life is so easy, so comfortable – why would you want to end it? No, you might have hoodwinked Mother and everyone else but you can’t fool me. This was carefully planned and orchestrated – the act of a clever but completely selfish teenager.’

She was silent at his words and he sat forward to bring himself closer to her. His slanted eyes were beginning to darken with anger.

‘If you could’ve seen the state of Mother when Clip came and found her in the Village that night … I’ll never forgive you for putting her through that.’

‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she whispered. ‘But I thought she didn’t love me anymore so I didn’t think it’d matter to her if I passed on to the Otherworld.’

He laughed harshly, his eyes cold.

‘Don’t be so stupid! You know full well she loves you. You’ve always been the special one – perhaps even her favourite, which is why Sweyn and Gefrin have always resented you.’

Leveret frowned at this – surely not?

‘You were just trying to manipulate her and everybody else and it’s worked, which is what makes me so furious,’ continued Yul. ‘Everybody might be fooled but be assured, Leveret, I’m not. I know your game, and if you ever, ever do anything like that again, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born. Do you understand?’

‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘I swear to you I won’t.’

Yul got out of his chair in one fluid motion and she shrank back, not knowing what he was going to do. She used to feel safe with Yul but she certainly didn’t now. He was taut as a bowstring ready to be released, pent up with suppressed energy and anger; he was very frightening. But he strode into the kitchen and brought back the bottle of mead, refilling his glass and gazing into the fire. She sat quietly so as not to antagonise him.

His face in profile was so powerful, the nose and cheekbones perfectly carved, jaw and brow strong. His mouth was drawn into a line of bitter tension and Leveret wondered if once again she were taking the brunt of his anger over something entirely different. She noticed his long, square-tipped fingers drumming on the side of the chair impatiently and then he looked up at her, his grey eyes full of something wild and driven. She found it impossible to look away.

‘You’re to work very hard at school too. I’ll see all your books and all your marks every week. Any slacking and you’ll stay at the Hall again so I can make bloody sure you study.’

‘Yes, I promise I’ll work really hard.’

‘And you’ll help Mother in the house too. I expect you to do a lot of the work. She should be slowing down a bit and taking it easier now, and you can ease the burden for her. Have you noticed how old she’s looking? How tired? There’s grey in her hair and lines on her face that weren’t there until very recently, and that’s your doing. So make sure you take the pressure off her by doing the housework, fetching the water, cooking and tending the vegetables. Is that clear?’

‘Yes Yul, I’ll help her as much as I can.’

‘Hmmn.’

He poured himself another glass and drank it steadily, his boot tapping on the hearth.

‘You were once a really sweet little girl, Leveret, and I loved you.’

His use of the past tense cut her to the quick. He stared at her again, his eyes boring into her.

‘You’re not anymore. Somewhere along the line you’ve turned into a selfish, lazy and heartless young woman. I suppose it’s in your genes – your father’s nastiness had to come out some time. You remind me of him, the way you’ve upset Mother, and that’s why I’m determined to crush this self-centredness out of you.’

Leveret could think of nothing to say to this; she hated to be reminded of her father’s cruelty. She’d heard enough about him to know he’d been a terrible man and the last thing she wanted was to turn out like him.

‘Well? Say something!’

‘I’ll try hard not to be like him. I’m very sorry, Yul, really I am, for everything. I’m turning over a new leaf.’

‘You’d damn well better be. And another thing – Mother says you won’t go down to the Barn to join in the festivities. Why is that?’

She shrugged uncomfortably.

‘I … I didn’t feel well enough.’

‘Rubbish! You ate some harmless mushrooms. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you at all.’

He poured the last of the mead into his glass and examined it, staring at the gold liquid.

‘Do you know what I think, Leveret? I think you’re embarrassed to go and face everyone after what you did. But I think a bit of humiliation is just what you need. So you’ll join in everything from now on – I insist.’

She gazed at him mournfully but nodded her obedience, having no real choice. He drained the glass suddenly in one gulp and turned to smile at her. His eyes were still dark but not quite so intense and focused any more. His smile made her go cold – it was a smile without any warmth, a cruel smile. Leveret felt she was looking at a stranger.

‘I’m pleased we had the chance to talk alone,’ he said, standing up. He swayed ever so slightly but quickly righted himself. ‘Remember what I’ve said. I expect you to be perfect and if you’re not, I’ll deal with you personally.’

He opened the door and breathed deeply of the cold air outside, then turned and fixed her once more with his steely glare.

‘Bright blessings at Yule, little sister.’